


A Vow of Silence

by Zeppelin_Skies



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Drama & Romance, F/M, Humor, Romance, Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-16
Updated: 2021-01-21
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:00:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 60,979
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24211750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zeppelin_Skies/pseuds/Zeppelin_Skies
Summary: When Thor leaves for Earth after destroying Malekith, Loki sits on the throne wearing Odin’s guise. Ada, sister to Fandral and an apprentice healer, discovers his rouse by the fate of her own terrible curiosity. The price of her silence is her life, and the God of Mischief finds he quite likes teasing her with it. [Loki/OC] Set before and through Ragnarok.
Relationships: Jane Foster/Thor, Loki (Marvel)/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 27
Kudos: 96





	1. A Grim Prelude

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoy! I'm not sure how active this fandom still is, but here goes everything. This is set before the events of the first Thor, but will soon catch up to Dark World and Ragnarok (and beyond).

_**One Year Before the Attack on Midgard** _

.

.

.

"You truly are an idiot."

Fandral laughed, even though it made the wound below his ribs ooze with his blood. He grimaced, both at the pain, and at his sister's glare.

"Oh Ada, such a face wounds me more than that marauder's spear," he lamented. Always so dramatic.

Ada sighed deeply, measuring him with a flat look. She pulled a shining golden thread from the Soul Forge that already had the shape of his torso and an outline of his wound.

"Now, careful with that. I wouldn't want to lose something I may need for celebrating," he said with a mischievous smile. Still, he watched her cautiously.

 _Good_ , she thought, nearly smirking with satisfaction at his obvious wariness.

"You'll lose more than that if you continue running your mouth," Sif remarked. She also sat on a healing table and allowed Lady Eris to work swiftly on a burn injury to her arm. Mistress Mariel herself was seeing to Prince Loki. He didn't seem to have been hurt, beyond some scratches to his face and hands.

Ada couldn't help but glance at him as she began sealing up her brother's wound. He quietly allowed Mariel's fussing of him, though he clearly wasn't injured. Taller than Fandral, he had a lithe figure compared to Prince Thor, who no doubt was already celebrating with Hogun and Volstagg for their victory on Alfheim, their neighboring realm.

"I assure you, Sif. I've had no complaints about my mouth," Fandral quipped, his brow raising indecently. Sif rolled her eyes.

"Remain still," Ada sharply reminded him. It took all her concentration to do the stitch correctly and straight in the first place. Let alone with all his twitching.

In truth, Fandral was a horrible patient. Even as a child, he could never sit still. He also loathed pain, though he would never admit it, even among his fellow warriors who knew him best. Not that they didn't know that just as well.

They had destroyed some rogues from the fiery Muspelheim, who sought to press their advantage against the light elves and their forests there. Ada was envious of Fandral for having seen them. She'd had read much about its beauty and admired the artistic renderings of the great rivers and greater trees and mountains, but it was something else to see it with your own eyes.

"Good work, Ada. Better than usual." Mariel appeared over her shoulder. Ada was long used to it, no longer being startled half as much at her mistress appearing suddenly behind her with scrutinizing eyes. She continued to spread the healing salve over her brother's newly closed wound.

She also ignored Eris's hot gaze burning the side of her face. Ada knew if she were to look over, the other apprentice would only look away as if she'd been stung.

"Administer that salve to the prince's wounds as well," Mariel instructed.

"I have no need of it," Loki spoke. Fandral shot him a glance where Sif didn't bother.

"I won't hear it," Mariel said. "I will not have it said that one of our princes left our Halls without proper attentions."

She gave Ada a pointed look, and she quickly moved to the prince. Her insides filled with nerves to be near him. Fandral had fought beside both princes for so long, and yet this man was still wholly unknown to her. The God of Mischief, and lies, and enigma. She'd heard the stories, of course, but just as in books, words and reality were entirely different creatures.

He watched her then, she thought with some amusement as she stood before him. She bowed her head in respect, and he acknowledged it with a slight nod of his head. His eyes were very green. Focused on her with some intensity. But she could tell he was still aware of what was happening in the room around them.

Sif and Fandral began arguing about who tallied the higher number of rogues on Alfheim, while Mariel was overseeing Eris as they left the Halls, taking away their unused herbs and supplies. Ada could hear it all happening behind her, but she was absorbed by her task. She took some of the salve from a small bowl and applied it first to the cuts and scrapes on Loki's hands.

"As long as you've been attending on royalty, do we intimidate you still?" he asked. His voice sounded kind, but she wasn't sure it was sincere. Everything about him, his words, his movements—all were for a purpose. Always.

His brow rose. "It surely can't be because of me?"

Her hands stilled over his, just for a moment. He was smiling politely, but his eyes held deeper amusement. She looked up at him with a small smile of her own. He was right. It wasn't the first time she had tended to his wounds, however minor, and it likely wouldn't be the last.

Ada avoided his question, instead applying the salve to the scratches along his cheek. Usually she was able to ignore how close she was to someone physically while she treated them, even if they happened to be male. By now, even treating her brother was familiar, if annoying. But at the moment…

"Is it because I'm your prince, or is it…something else?"

She met his eyes, frowning when he looked back at her. As if he knew what she was thinking.

Yet she stayed quiet, not wanting to give him the satisfaction. Was it because of his status, or his reputation that she felt so nervous?

"Well, dear sister. I'm off," Fandral hopped off the healing table and went over to her, squeezing her shoulder. "See you tonight!"

"I doubt it. You'll be much too drunk by the time feasting comes," Sif said, smirking at him.

Ada agreed. She shook her head. "It's nothing I haven't seen before. Forgive me if I skip that _delightful_ sight."

Just as she finished with Loki, offering him a smile and bow of her head as he politely gave the same, Fandral laid a warm hand to ruffle her hair. "Oh, don't give me that. An excuse if I've ever heard one!"

Ada quickly ducked away from his touch, flushing with embarrassment. He was treating her like a child in front of the prince, in front of Lady Sif even. But Fandral grinned in the face of her pointed glare.

"You'll not stay in another night while all of Asgard is alive with merriment."

"Your _merriment_ lasts for weeks on end," she quipped back. "I don't have time for—"

"Surely you'll support our victory," Loki said, his words like smooth velvet. She blinked up at him in surprise.

He was a good deal taller than her when he stood, straightening his armor and clothing. She didn't expect him to pay her any mind once her task of treating him was done, which is why she had such a hard time finding anything to say.

"Right then," Fandral said. He took up her hand and laid a kiss with brotherly affection. "Be sure to do something with this hair of yours."

With that last bit of cheek, knowing she wouldn't retaliate with others present, he released her hand and went off with Sif and Prince Loki. She was left alone in the Halls of Healing, simmering with irritation and embarrassment and fondness all at once.

Then she sighed.

_I guess I'm going to a party._

* * *

The end of her day couldn't have come soon enough. But Ada realized, with some exasperation (and mild apprehension), that it wasn't over yet.

She returned home to find her dearest friend already rooting through her closet.

"What in Hel are you doing, Vira? Who even let you in?"

"I heard Prince Thor is returned, and the feast preparations are already underway. Your brother told me, by the way, to ensure you would actually come as promised."

And Fandral was the culprit. As usual.

Ada sighed. Technically they still shared their family home, but since their mother's death, Fandral had taken to staying elsewhere. With whichever new maiden that happened to catch his fancy.

Vira turned to her, and already her long dark hair was pinned up in curls. She wore silver finery and what looked to be a new dress—flowing in the color of rich pale gold.

Ada rolled her eyes and laid down heavily on her bed. Her back was aching from a day's work, and she was fairly certain she had a headache coming on. "My brother is getting craftier, I'll give him that."

"You're the only one I know who doesn't like parties," Vira said. "And parties at the _palace_. You're lucky to even be invited, you know."

"You share the same privileges I do," Ada tossed her a knowing look. "Isn't _that_ a lovely dress."

Hands on her hips, Vira twisted to show how it gleamed in the lamplight. She shot Ada a wink. "Unlike you, I enjoy my status. Gods, do I wear it well."

Ada snorted in amusement. "You're right. I couldn't imagine you as a cobbler."

"Hm, yes. Poverty wouldn't agree with me."

"A lesser status doesn't have to mean poverty, Vira."

Her friend paused in her search through the closet and turned to her, uncharacteristically serious. "Anything below nobility is _less_ , my Lady Ada. You'd do well to remember that."

Ada didn't have the energy to argue. She allowed Vira to dress her how she saw fit, and even borrowed from her mother's old collection of jewelry. By the end of it, she could admit to seeing why Vira enjoyed her glittering gowns so much. It would be nice, if just for a while, she could suspend the illusion of the rather plain girl she too often saw in the mirror.

* * *

She was uncomfortable.

Surprisingly, not in the finery. Vira's mother Vyda was well known as a superior seamstress in this realm, if not all nine. Even the weight of her mother's rings, golden bracelets and other accessories served to make her feel…well, more of a lady. Her russet brown hair was mostly loose, coiled with some braids Vira had done so painstakingly.

But as Ada watched Prince Thor, her brother and the other warriors eating, drinking, laughing boisterously, reenacting fights with real fists and wrestle that knocked over tables and chairs and ale, she didn't see her place there.

She held a large cup of wine to her lips, hesitating before she drank. Vira wasn't far, dancing with her fourth partner tonight in one of the garden's courtyards. Ada could see her, smiling and gazing up at the man with flirtatious eyes. Her brother Marus was not too far off in a dance with a blonde maiden, rolling his own eyes as his sister's antics.

Ada smiled in amusement. Vira was beautiful, charming, a natural flirt. She didn't know how long this wildness would last, as her father had secured no small number of suitors. But for the time at least, Vira was more or less free to do as she wished at events such as these.

As companions, they couldn't have been more different.

"You seem a bit lost."

She jumped slightly at the sudden voice, though familiar. It served to raise the hairs on her arms and neck as she turned to Prince Loki. Instinctively she dropped into a low curtsey, and the wine tilted out of her cup.

He nimbly stepped out of the way of the drink splashing at his feet, but Ada gasped all the same. "I-I'm so sorry, your Highness! Please forgive me…I'll get something—"

She'd never heard him laugh before, but it was pleasant. He plucked the goblet from her hand.

"I am not so vain that a few drops of wine can deter me," he said, even as his magic was already clearing it from his clothing. She watched it disappear with a wash of green light. His magic was truly seamless.

He looked to a palace servant, who took the empty cup onto their serving tray.

"Care for another?" Loki asked, green eyes shining with amusement. Still flustered, Ada shook her head. Then she remembered herself, lowering her gaze.

"No thank you, my lord," she replied more respectfully. "Clearly I've had more than enough."

His smirk grew, not that she noticed it. But she did when his slender fingers curled around hers. She raised her head, eyes widening.

"Would you like to see something interesting?" he asked.

Ada was realized she was indeed curious, but also suspicious. Looking so directly into his eyes, she found herself growing slightly bolder. "That depends on your definition of interesting."

"I suspect you'll be far more entertained by my definition," he said.

She wasn't so sure. A man like him was capable of…anything really. But the promise of that mischievous gleam in his eye, combined with a charming, if reserved smile, it was just enough to sway her curiosity. For better or worse.

Ada allowed him to lead her from the feast, further into the gardens until the music was faded into the background of noise. She could finally hear herself think, her bracelets clinking together as she walked beside the prince. He still held her hand, and she had to wonder.

Why was he showing any interest in someone like her?

Was it simply curiosity, or was it boredom?

Whatever it was, they came to a short bridge in the garden that extended across a lake. Its waters extended out, slimming into a river that continued on beyond the palace. The stars above them fell on the waters, pale white and beautiful.

Her hand eased out of his as she wandered on and leaned on the stone railing of the bridge. The fires lit for the lamps at the celebration were small, but she could see Prince Thor raising a toast to their victory. Fandral was there with him, likely drinking himself into a stupor.

"Did I really look lost?" she asked. Loki stood beside her, watching the same scene she was.

"You didn't you seem comfortable within the spectacle."

"Not when it lasts an entire month," Ada replied. Then she looked over at him, chastened. "I'm sorry. I know it's meant to celebrate your victory."

"Merely one of many. Like you, I grow weary of the same revelry," he said.

"My friends…and no doubt my brother also. They think I don't appreciate the gift of my station. The luxuries of nobility," Ada admitted. She didn't know why, but perhaps he would understand. He was a prince, meant to carry out the duties of his house and the responsibilities only a member of the royal family could have.

"But I do," she said. "Asgard hasn't always been peaceful, and that peace was won because of the All-Father and those who support him. So I'm also grateful to have found a purpose."

As a woman of nobility, it was rarely the case to find accomplishment outside of marriage. Had her father lived, she was sure he would have chosen a match for her by now. And she had no way of knowing if she would have been agreeable to that husband, or he to her.

In that regard, Ada did appreciate the freedoms that the Halls of Healing afforded her.

"As a healer," Loki supplied.

"Yes." She glanced at his hands, which already showed that his surface-level scratches were fading into nothing. Part of that was surely his own healing abilities, but the medicine she'd applied was infused with a meticulous combination of herbs and magic.

"Watching Fandral, you would never know his fair sister had such a contemplative spirit," Loki said. His amusement was evident, and Ada blushed only slightly at being described as "fair."

She could at least admit, he was a point of fascination for her. It was impossible to know what he was thinking.

"Why consider me at all?" she asked. "As a prince of Asgard, you could have any woman of your choosing."

And she was sure he'd had many, if the stories (and many warnings) she'd heard from Fandral were any indication. Not that Fandral should be one to speak about another man's excessive _encounters_.

Loki turned to her with a smile. Under his gaze, she felt as if he were assessing her. Piecing together the puzzle of her, just as she was trying to do. Ada suspected he was succeeding far more than her, as his expression turned teasing.

"Surely none of them possess hands as gentle as yours."

Of course, she flushed deeply. Even so, she frowned up at him. That face of his that was still so alluring, even if marred for the moment with fading cuts and scratches from battle.

"If you're charming me for some purpose—"

"Such as?" he interrupted, successfully throwing off the course of her thoughts. Pushing away the promise in his tone for a moment, she was able to continue.

"I hardly know that, do I? Has my brother done something to annoy you?" she asked, a bit irritated herself. If this was some kind of game to raise Fandral's ire, then she'd have no part in it. She didn't care if he _was_ a prince. Suddenly she felt nearly sure that his polite and kind attentiveness as she spoke about herself was all an act. A master of guiles.

"Is it not possible," Loki posed, his eyes gleaming, "that you've simply earned my attention? Even if just for the moment."

Nervousness churned in her belly, especially as he gradually moved closer within her personal space. Her steps brought her back against the bridge's railing. She looked up at the prince, not knowing if her nerves were anxiety or anticipation. His hand brushed over hers, sliding across the inside of her wrist and igniting her skin where he touched.

His eyes captured hers, and she knew then just how many women he had ensnared in such a way. Prince Thor was the more brazen of the two. Like Vira, he had no need for subtlety or pretense. Clearly, this wasn't Loki's way.

He touched her chin, raising it up to him.

"Don't you understand the privilege you hold just now, my lady?" he teased. But she saw his cunning, his confidence, and most evidently his arrogance. He clearly expected her to fall willingly to pieces in his hands, though gods help her, he was nearly succeeding.

A devilish smile played on his lips as they drew near. Until she found the wits to place a firm hand against his chest.

"If it's just for the moment, then why bother at all?" she asked.

Loki paused, gazing down at her as if she were the slowest creature in all the realms. His smile deepened.

"Oh, my dear. Shall I spell it out for you?" He bowed low near her ear, and his rich voice made her shudder against her will. One of his fingers slid underneath the collar of her dress, grazing her skin across the hem to where it led along her shoulder.

"I often grow bored, in need of amusement. It hasn't escaped my notice, how you watch me with the interest of a blushing maiden. So, just this once, I will do you the honor of feeding your curiosity."

Ada did blush scarlet, but her temper sparked with incredulity at the size of his arrogance. Again, she pushed at his chest more firmly until she could look at his face.

"Consider my curiosity satisfied," she snapped, hating how both her voice and her hands shook with nerves. "If you call on me again, I'm sure my brother will have more than words with you."

Loki rolled his eyes. "My, my, that _is_ a threat."

He could see she was serious, however. And if she did speak of it to Fandral, he was sure his brother wouldn't be far behind to attempt to scold him. No doubt he would see it his responsibility to protect this girl's honor on behalf of his friend, despite the hypocrisy of how many conquests Thor himself boasted with the flagrance of a fool.

In any case, Loki decided that quelling his boredom wasn't worth having his brother try to meddle in his affairs. He released her, stepping away with a low chuckle as she immediately straightened her spine and checked that her necklace and clothing were properly settled.

He had surprised her by pulling away, he noticed. Ada stared at him with confusion and even some conflict in her deep gray eyes. She was obviously attracted still. It was there, just beneath her irritation and rightful wariness. She was innocent, but unlike most other women that would have succumbed all too easily to him, she was intelligent enough to heed her instincts.

That rarity alone almost changed his mind. He found himself wanting to pursue that defiant streak, and see how long it would take to have her come apart at his touch.

But raised voices coming near broke the spell of their shared gaze, as Thor himself came with four goblets of ale, two in each hand as he drank from them sloppily. One he shoved in Loki's hands.

"Brother! Where've you been? I've been looking for you," he said. To his credit, his feet were mostly steady.

Ada took in a deep breath as she held onto the ledge beside her for support, once Loki's intense gaze finally left her. She only saw the back of his head as he was pulled along across the bridge. He didn't even look back.

"Ada? What're you doin' here?" Fandral slung a heavy arm around her shoulders. He was more than drunk, and for that matter, his breath nearly made her gag. Hogun dragged him over to him before his weight made her stumble.

"Many thanks," she told him breathlessly.

"You should get home soon, my lady. Would you like me to accompany you?" Hogun asked. He was a kind man, and Ada found she liked him well. She was grateful that he watched over her reckless brother.

"No, but thank you. I'll be fine," she said.

And she was, for the most part. As Ada made the short journey home from the palace, she wasn't concerned for Vira. Marus was there for her, and even so, she could (and would) take care of herself. More than this, Ada was lost in her thoughts. She berated herself for being such a fool.

She'd almost had a tryst with the Prince of Mischief.

But she couldn't know what this night would become. In light of all that followed, it was only a grim prelude for the end of everything she'd come to know. Herself included.


	2. A Companion in the Dark

**_100 Years Before the Attack on Midgard_ **

Since she was a child, Ada had always been fascinated by the conditions of other realms. While sitting in the vast garden cultivated behind the palace, she could almost imagine how the bright Asgardian skies might look covered by the dense mists and darkness of Niflheim. The books her mother once read to her, the ones her brother refused to read because they lacked pictures, made her imagine the icy waters that must flow down from their mountains into the wellspring of Hvergelmir, where Yggdrasil sprouted one of its large roots.

She laid on her back in the soft grass, surrounded by the sweet-smelling herbs she was supposed to be harvesting. Instead, she watched one of the garden tenders on a short ladder. He was adjusting a spout in the wide, stone fountain that marked the center of this place. She knew the man's face.

 _Fiske, surely. Was that him, or the grounds keeper?_ Ada hardly forgot a face, but she would be hard pressed to call up a god-forsaken name. _Or Fenn, was it?_

He had seen her far too often to pay her any mind, so she was glad to be ignored for a while. It allowed her to wonder if the great wellspring looked at all like a fountain. Or was it more like a great canyon where water falls through eternally? And where does the water even come from?

 _Perhaps I should have studied harder in primary teachings_ , she thought, and tapped her hand that rested above her head with the other. Absently she wondered where her companion had gotten off to. Maybe Eris had decided to search the southern end of the garden where the tougher roots were planted. Ada liked it here in the center best because it was easier to find her way back the main gate. If one weren't careful, they could soon find themselves very, very lost here.

" _Lady_ Adalheid."

She flinched at the sharp voice and sudden shadow that blocked her view of the sun and sky. Blinking, she craned her neck up and smiled nervously at the two figures which stood over her.

"Have we disturbed your noon dozing?" Mistress Mariel's words dripped with familiar sarcasm. Eris remained quiet beside her, seemingly neutral. Ada knew better.

 _She couldn't have warned me?_ Ada sighed inwardly.

She scrambled to her feet, nearly tripping on the wicker basket she'd laid to rest beside her on the ground, and performed a haste curtsey.

"I apologize, Mistress," she scooped up the basket. "I—"

"Not another word." Mariel said sharply. "It seems I still cannot trust you to with the simplest of tasks without—"

Ada produced her basket, full to the brim with cardamine and crusgallia weeds and several other herbs and small flowers. They were used for various spells and medicinal uses, and it was an important Asgardian tradition to replenish their wares on the day of Midsummer, before the time of feasting. Everyone in the city and in the villages took part in their own homes, but the great feast held in the palace for the court nobility was legendary.

It was also tradition in the palace to restock the Halls of Healing before the long harvest to come.

"I finished early," she smiled.

Mariel raised a thin brow. "And you thought your tasks finished?"

Ada bit her lip, bowing her head.

"Come, child." The older woman turned toward the garden's high arch, the entrance called the Queen's Gate, for the woman who had once nurtured the life that continued to grow here in abundance.

"You know there is much to prepare this Midsummer, even for us."

They made their way back through the center of the garden, through the large doors leading into the palace.

"I also found some strands of hayweed," Ada offered her mistress a hesitant smile. Eris was still quiet beside Ada, but that was just her way. "Mother always said they were excellent for softening callouses."

" _That_ is for calming irritation and inflammation of the skin," Mariel corrected, but Ada was too busy fixing a loose strap on her basket to see her mistress's small smile of amusement.

"Oh, I know. It worked wonders when…well, you likely remember the time my brother returned from Muspelheim with a bite from a fire serpent. His hindquarters swelled something ghastly—"

"Yes, Lord Fandral's abysmal luck is notorious," Mariel waved a dismissive hand. "Now hush. I haven't the patience for…good day, your Majesty."

"Good day, Mistress Mariel."

It wasn't often Ada's path crossed with that of the All-Father. But unfortunately, it was not only her brother who suffered from notorious bad luck.

In her hasty attempt for a deep curtsey of respect to their king, the leather straps of her basket slipped from her fingers and allowed the full contents to spill out onto the floor between them.

Ada found herself frozen—in shock, then quickly into embarrassment as she chanced a quick upwards glance at the bemused King Odin. She avoided looking at her longsuffering mistress.

"I-I apologize…your Majesty," she said as her knees hit the floor. She hurriedly began scooping up every herb, every scrap of leaf with nervous, shaking hands. _How stupid can you be?!_ she wanted to shout at herself.

"Your preparations for Midsummer have gone well, I take it?" Odin asked of Mariel.

"Yes, All-Father. The growing season has been kind," she replied.

"Very good. I shall not hinder you then," he nodded with respect, and continued on his way down the long hall. Ada released the breath she was holding and, still knelt on the ground, she hesitantly looked up at her mistress.

"Well done," Eris said. She wore a faint smirk of amusement. Ada shot her a glare as she got to her feet.

"Thanks ever-much for your assistance."

"You didn't need it. The All-Father was gracious enough to ignore you."

"Enough," Mariel clenched her folded hands in front of her and began striding forward. "Come now. You've embarrassed me enough this day."

* * *

Ada returned home in a sour mood. Vira visited her as she did every week. But even though she was trying her hardest to be good company, Ada worried she was failing at it.

"She scolded me. Like a child," Ada swirled a stick of honey through her tea. "I cleaned and polished all of the instruments after dissection—"

" _Dissection?_ " crowed Vira, who paused in considering their game of chess. A Midgardian game the All-Father had brought back with him some centuries ago.

"Some pond slugs contain useful bacteria for eating infections," Ada explained absently.

"Oh, by the gods," Vira rolled her eyes.

"It was supposed to be a lesson for tomorrow, but I'm pretty sure she just wanted to punish me."

"Is it really worth it, digging in the muck for slugs? You come from a noble family, with well-deserved respect," Vira pointed out.

Ada knew what her friend was really saying. Her father had been a commander in the royal army. Her mother had been just as notorious in the arts.

And her brother was one of the Warriors Three. For this alone, she'd hardly need to lift a finger a day in her life.

"It's a great honor to have any position within the palace, let alone in the Halls of Healing," Ada said. Always her ready answer.

"And it's the last thing my mother did for me. I won't quit," she added. "I only wish Mariel would allow me more challenging work."

Vira hummed in agreement. "You'll probably get your chance, soon enough."

* * *

_._

_._

_._

**_One Day After the Attack on Midgard_ **

Ada stood beside her mistress, at the ready should she have need of her. Eris had refused to attend the traitor, but Ada wanted to see with her own eyes what Loki of Asgard had become since betraying Prince Thor and attacking Midgard.

He was haggard, and his face looked gaunt. Dark circles marred under his eyes, his much longer black hair was as unkempt as his torn and battered armor. He would be a piteous sight, if not for the restrained loathing he exuded. Hatred for them, or for himself, she didn't know. But it reminded her of a caged animal.

Mariel's expression was seemingly stoic, yet Ada saw some sadness in her as she looked down at the fallen Prince of Asgard. Of anyone in the realm, Ada thought the only other being not to look down upon him with disdain would be her mistress. But Mariel's words spat upon him derisively.

"I have mended him as much as I can," she said.

 _Or as much as she would_ , Ada thought. But it wasn't her place to contradict her mistress. More civilly, Mariel offered Queen Frigga her respects before taking her leave. "My Queen."

Ada left with Mariel out of the prison block.

That afternoon, her mistress sought her out while Ada was organizing their wares. Spring was upon them, and even though this week's festival was postponed in light of recent events, she could still be prepared.

"Ada, I must ask something of you," Mariel said. Ada paused in her work.

"Yes, Mistress?"

"Will you bring this to the prisoner with his evening meal? He will be shackled, so you've no need to fear." Mariel handed her a salve that Ada herself had made. "You don't need to tend to him. It's unlikely he'll need it for long, but…orders are orders."

Despite how heinous and terrifying Loki's actions were and had been, even though he was a traitor, Ada found it difficult to see it so callously as Mariel did. But she agreed.

She was accompanied by no less than four armored guards down to the prison. It was just as dark and unpleasantly cold as she remembered.

From the wall of his cell, a compartment released. With a bored look on his face, Loki complied by putting on the shackles housed inside the compartment. The shackles effectively made sure his magic was bound. Only then did the guards lower the golden shield that made up the cell.

Ada noted that his previous tray of food was almost completely full. She had one of the guards take it away, leaving the fresh one. She considered the salve she carried, and the many lacerations across his face and hands. Likely there were more hiding beneath his sleeves and tunic that Mariel hadn't examined.

"Would you allow me to examine you?" she asked, trying her hardest to make sure her voice was stoic and even. Perhaps the prince noticed. He looked as if he would refuse, but at the last moment, he relaxed somewhat. Rolling his eyes, he started unzipping some of his armor.

Soon his torso was bared enough to her gaze, and she focused on applying the salve where she needed to, instead of the expanse of lean, male muscle. Luckily, her many years as a physician let her shove down any blushing or embarrassment at seeing some of his form for the first time.

Some of his cuts, while they seemed to be healing fine on their own, were likely deep enough to be painful if not uncomfortable.

"My mother sent you?" Loki asked.

"Most likely, however indirect." She tried to answer honestly, while staying professional.

"Why bother?" he mused.

But his tone was deceptively light.

"The best way to recover your strength is by eating something," she told him, gesturing to the meal that still sat untouched beside him. "No doubt you've gone long without proper sustenance."

"Did you _hear_ me?" he pressed. He straightened in his seat, bringing them closer than the more acceptable distance she'd intentionally created. His height made him loom over her slightly. "Unless your servitude to that great old cow has dulled your senses, you know I'm for the axe. So what exactly is the point in you tending to my meager wounds?"

Finally Ada stopped to meet his gaze, so cold and dark. It was a far cry from the man she thought she had known once. While arrogant and devilish in his charms, he had never been so cruel and spiteful. For the first time, she truly felt the vulnerability and possible danger of her position, being so close to him. A guard stood just behind her, and Loki's magic was bound by the shackles. But she had no doubt that his physical strength alone could overpower her, likely quicker than even the guards could anticipate.

"Is it because of some misguided pity, or for your own accomplishment?" Loki scorned her. "'My kindness knows no bounds. I've healed the monster, that traitorous wretch.'"

"Stop it," she snapped.

"My lady," one of the guards called from behind. He silently asked her if she wanted to be removed from the cell. She shook her head negatively.

Loki's cruel mockery hurt, but it reminded Ada not to lose her temper, or her nerve. She thought about what he was saying and tried to think of the real answer to his question. Why was she _really_ here? Was it actually pity, or was it a false sense of righteousness—to play at being his healer?

She didn't want to think it was either of those things, but perhaps he was right…if so, she was no better than Mariel. But she did have a reason when she first decided to come here. She hesitated, but then she chose to answer him.

"You saved my brother once. Before Prince Thor was changed by his time on Midgard," she said. "When you all journeyed to Jotunheim, it was your actions that saved his life. But I know what I offer is of no real consequence. Not to you, or in the grand scheme of what awaits you. Beyond that, I suppose I mourn the prince...the man I once respected."

Before he could spit more hateful words at her, she stood and left his cell. She also left the salve with him, though she doubted he would finish using it.

It was Fandral who later told her that Loki would be spared. The All-Father sentenced him to an eternal imprisonment.

Her feelings of relief both confused and worried her (she didn't share that realization with her brother). Though at the same time, she wondered what good would come of letting a man like that stew with nothing but those vile thoughts for company.

* * *

When he was finally alone, Loki allowed himself to close his eyes. The sight of Odin still caused his blood to boil, as did the idiotic blonde head of his brother. The only thing that kept him tethered to this waking moment was the image of Frigga, even if there were tears in her blue eyes.

Those eyes then turned to gray—the color of Lady Ada's wild storm of emotions, and things she refused to say. For some reason, those eyes were sad, not contemptuous when they watched him.

He felt the ghost of her lingering touch on his hands. His body. His face.

Loki let his head fall back hard against the wall, trying to rid himself of that feeling, and those thoughts. But it wasn't quite enough.

_Her touch is still gentle._

And it was far more than he would ever receive again.

* * *

However, it seemed he would be given some measure of distraction from his darker, wilder thoughts. In a maddening turn of events, she came back to his cell.

More than once.

With his breakfast, a book, then a lounging chair. A proper bed. Stacks of books and furniture the guards had long-sufferingly brought in like the pack mules they were. The "gifts" had come from Frigga, but she'd chosen this woman to be her messenger.

Finally, when the queen herself came to see him, casting her awareness out with her magic so similar to his own, he asked her.

"Why the girl?"

"Lady Adalheid?" Frigga said. Her lips curved with humor. "Is she not familiar to you?"

Loki scoffed. His mother was far craftier than any gave her credit for. She was the first and only one to truly understand him.

If she'd learned of that night on the bridge (so long ago and barely in his memory now), he wouldn't be surprised. Not that it was of much consequence anyway.

" _But I know what I offer is of no real consequence. Not to you, or in the grand scheme of what awaits you._ "

She was a strange girl, Loki decided. In the end, he hadn't detected a lie in her words. She'd meant what she said. It was rare to find true honesty in this world, let alone in this golden palace.

Again, not that it mattered.

* * *

"What does he say to you?" Frigga asked. She sat in her seat in the garden, gracefully as if it was a throne. Ada sat beside her feeling wholly inadequate to do so.

"Not very much, your Majesty," she replied.

"You may speak freely, child. You don't have to spare my feelings." To Ada, her smile was lovely, if sad. The morning sun caught in her hair, and it shone golden in the light. "As a mother, you grow used to receiving your son's spite, and brushing it off like flies."

Ada had never heard Loki speak to the Queen, but she had a hard time imagining him speaking cruelly to her. She suspected Frigga was the only person he could love in what was left of his heart.

 _If he has one_ , a sardonic thought came to mind.

"I don't claim to know him or his thoughts, your Majesty, but I believe he would listen to you if you spoke to him," Ada said.

Frigga sighed softly. "I do speak to him, and it's the same argument each time."

Ada's heart twinged. She was able to recognize the Queen's sadness, held so tightly behind a mask of serene contemplation. That kind of look was seared into Ada's memory.

"Why…" She found herself asking the question in her mind before she could stop herself, "Why did he do it?"

Frigga's gaze slid to her, a humorless smile playing on her lips.

"You think Loki beyond reason."

"I'm sure he had reasons that…compelled him," Ada replied. "I only…to betray his own brother—"

"I'm sure by now you've heard of my son's true heritage," Frigga said. Ada nodded slowly. Fandral had told her the tale, though she'd hardly believed it at the time.

"It was our mistake to hide it from him. The King's, and mine," the Queen sighed. "When trust is broken, the wounds caused by lies are difficult to heal. They fester, and grow, creating doubt and jealousy where there need not be."

Ada lowered her head, contemplating this. She was surprised enough that Frigga had confided in her about her own son, but perhaps she was grateful enough that someone chose to consider Loki's motivations, not just his actions.

After a moment, Frigga looked over at her thoughtfully.

"How long have you apprenticed for Mariel, my dear?"

Ada blinked at the question, but she answered as truthfully as she felt appropriate.

"For a long time now," she said. "Though she didn't possess the gift of magic, she sensed it in me as a child. So she requested of Mariel to take on another apprentice, and she agreed."

"I remember," Frigga said. "Mariel already had one apprentice at the time. It's not the custom to take on another."

Ada nodded, keeping her head low. She understood Eris's aversion of her, as it was her mother's interfering that gave Ada the position, effectively lessening Eris's title. Perhaps Ada hadn't earned her own apprenticeship from the beginning, but she'd tried so hard ever since to be worthy of it.

"And what calls to your natural talents?" she asked. "Why does the art of healing appeal to you?"

"If I may be honest, I loathe the sight of blood and wounds," Ada confessed with a smile. Frigga nodded in agreement. "What fascinates me most is having the solution to the problem before you, or to create one when there seemingly is none."

Ada couldn't decipher the smile that crossed the Queen's features, but she was happy enough just to be her companion, even for a short time.

* * *

"Why are you still doing this, Ada?"

Ada rolled her eyes. Her brother followed her as she gathered more books from the royal library. Mostly fiction, but others in poetry, history, and other scholars as well. From what Frigga had told her, Loki was very well read. Likely he had read them all before, but she was determined to find at least one book he hadn't yet come across. It would be his only means of entertainment for a very long time.

"Because the Queen asked it of me. I won't have this conversation with you again," she said.

"Leave it to her personal attendants. Literally anyone else," Fandral said. "Why should you continue putting yourself at risk?"

"How in danger can I be? He's locked within a cage," Ada remarked dryly.

"A cage they must open to feed the proverbial beast. Ada," Fandral stopped her with a gentle, but firm hand on her arm. "I'll be leaving Asgard again soon with Thor and the others. Marauders devastate the nine realms since the Bifrost's power no longer protects them. We leave today, and I don't know when I'll be back. I'd rather not find you in pieces when I return."

"What an imagination you have," Ada sighed. "You needn't worry. I can take care of myself."

When Fandral grinned, his eyes crinkled at the corners just like their father's used to. He set a hand on her head, even though he knew she didn't care for it.

"Of that I have no doubt. But please, for my sake, humor me," Fandral pleaded.

She didn't offer to end her tasks to the Queen, but she did promise to be careful.

Eventually, after some more cajoling, he let her go on her way. And the guards accompanied her as normal with Loki's meal.

They shackled him first before she entered the cell, then arranging all the books on a small table. He was quiet as usual in her presence, though Ada knew it was not his natural state. She was sure Loki loved nothing more than to hear his own voice, no matter how eloquent she herself found it.

"I didn't ask for tea," he said, earning her attention. She followed his gaze toward the teapot and selection of hand-painted teacups. She assumed Frigga had requested it for him.

"What of it?"

"The _tea_ ," he said, seemingly irritated at having to repeat himself. "What flavor?"

He wasn't permitted to leave the far end of the cell while she roamed within it. A guard stood within the cell at all times while she was there. Ada went to the teapot and opened the lid, wafting the steam towards her. It was lovely, actually.

"It smells of some kind of spice…and perhaps rose."

"Take it back with you when you leave," he said.

"Excuse me?" Ada said. She didn't take orders from him, and she would not play his games. Besides, what was even wrong with tea?

"I don't care for it."

"Well, then. Should I prepare a blend that's more suited to your tastes, my lord?" Ada scoffed. "Perhaps arrange an assortment of fruits and cheeses for you to sample?"

Loki smirked. Perhaps her anger amused him. "Very mature of you to mock your prince."

"You're no longer my prince, and I bid the Queen's orders, not yours." Ada stepped down from the cell with the guard's help. One panel of the golden cell walls fell to release her, then materialized again instantly after her. Only then did Loki's shackles disengage. He tossed them into the compartment in the wall, which then took it from him and slid back into place.

The guards then returned to their usual posts. It left them in relative privacy, if you didn't take the other nearby prisoners into account. She only held back from immediately leaving the cellblock because she wanted to see if he would boredly recognize all of his new books, or if there was perhaps one that would catch his interest.

But he was watching her as if she was little more than a puzzle. As if she were prey he was considering toying with before he devoured it whole.

"How easy you are to anger," Loki said, his grin stretching. "What have I done to conjure your ire, my lady?"

Ada glared back at him. She _was_ angry, though evidently it hadn't taken much more than tea to spark it.

"You know very well what you've done, and you break your mother's heart for it."

His expression changed in an instant, all of his derisive humor gone as if it had been a front for his true emotions underneath. A mask for his rage.

"Don't speak to me so familiarly, you sullen wench." His voice raised suddenly, and he stood, startling her into taking a step back from the cell. "If you're under orders, do what you're told like the servant you are. But don't pretend you can derive anything that even approaches an original thought, worthy of my _ever-diminishing_ time."

For a moment, the sheer force of his silver tongue stunned her more than offended her. His words were pointed barbs dipped in poison, but she watched him silently take up his seat, lounging across a chair with his legs crossed. He grabbed one of the new books she'd brought.

Though Ada couldn't read anything else in his expression now that he'd begun to ignore her, there was a slight upward twitch at his lips when he read the first page. His eyes reflected a margin of pleasure.

It was enough to satisfy her. Whether he was watching her or not, Ada chose to leave the prison with a smile on her face, knowing she had chosen his books correctly.

Though at this point, she had to wonder why she still cared at all if he was entertained.

* * *

The next morning, Frigga summoned Ada to one of her chambers where she often entertained guests and other nobility.

Ada ran her fingers over the cover of a book, intrigued as she was cautious. It was large and heavy, leather-bound and teeming with magic in its pages. Ada could feel it. She looked up at the Lady Frigga uncertainly.

"I don't know if I can accept such a gift, your Majesty."

"It's not a gift, my dear. It's a proposition," she said.

Ada's confusion must have been evident on her face, because the Queen smiled. "You've learned the art of healing from your mistress, but the knowledge you hold, while significant, is still basic. I will teach you to master your craft with disciplines and magics that will let you become more…well rounded."

Ada couldn't believe what Frigga was offering. She was a renowned sorceress, who surely had taught Loki much of what he knew. Yet she hadn't taken on a proper apprentice in centuries. Ada's gaze fell to her hands coiled tightly in her lap.

"Who am I, that I should receive such an opportunity?" she asked. "Is it…is it because I agreed to be a messenger for you?"

Frigga laughed. She leaned forward, touching Ada's cheek with care.

"Oh, child. I do sense potential in you. How that will manifest, remains to be seen," she said. "Don't worry. You will not be entirely pulled away from your responsibilities in the Halls of Healing. But from here on, you will spend your training with me."


	3. The Price of Conviction

"I don't understand," Ada said. Her brows furrowed in concentration, but she couldn't create the same spell Frigga had conjured. Violet sparks erupted from her fingers and faded into nothing.

"You're thinking too hard," Frigga said, and she allowed her spell to dissipate in a pale emerald glow. "You've grown used to the Soul Forge doing the work for you, and so you're overcompensating. What is the body made of?"

"Blood and bone, vital organs…" Ada supplied.

Frigga stopped pacing and stood before her. "Think further, Ada. What does the Soul Forge accomplish for you?"

Ada considered it more. The Forge was a machine, able to conjure a tangible, physical representation of the body's smallest accumulative parts.

"Its magic allows us to read and direct a being's physiology on a molecular level," she said.

"And what if you enacted the same process from your own hands, not through a machine?" Frigga said. "Magic is as strong as your force of will. You draw it from your own life energy, and in the discipline of healing, you endeavor to manipulate that of another."

While logically that made more sense to Ada, the idea of manipulating someone's life energy also seemed inherently wrong. She frowned.

"Don't think of it that way," Frigga said, smiling knowingly. " _Manipulation_ is a fluid term, but it doesn't necessarily mean to enforce your will over someone else. Take a severed arm, for example. Can you reattach the skin, bone, and muscle?"

The answer seemed to be straightforward, but Ada knew it rarely was. "No."

"Not yet, perhaps," Frigga corrected. "What this spell proposes is simple. You encourage molecules to bond together once more. In this, you'll be able to reconnect what has been severed."

"Is that truly possible?" Ada asked. She had a hard time believing such healing magic existed, let alone that it could be in the realm of her own capabilities. Frigga stepped toward her and touched her cheek warmly.

"My dear girl. Anything is possible when you have conviction."

Ada took those words to heart, long after she left the Queen's company. They had eaten together in the evening, making it decently late when she started down the long halls that would soon take her out of the palace and on her way home.

But without realizing it, her path unconsciously brought her down the wrong turn, toward the downward staircase that led to the prisons.

 _What am I doing?_ She didn't have any business going down there at this time of night, especially without being expressly ordered by the Queen. Ada had nothing to deliver, only her morbid curiosity and a persistent thought in her heart. Curiosity for the prisoner who idled his days by reading, and whatever else.

Not for the first time, Ada imagined Loki pacing in his cell, bored of the stacks of books. She wondered what he thought about, if he was feeling as stifled and despaired as she would feel to be caged with no hope of release. _At least, not anytime soon._

Finally, what he'd said to her started to make her think a bit harder.

" _You know very well what you've done, and you break your mother's heart for it."_

_His expression changed in an instant, all of his derisive humor gone as if it had been a front for_ _his true emotions underneath. A mask for his rage._

" _Don't speak to me so familiarly, you sullen wench._ _If you're under orders, do what you're told like the servant you are_."

Loki had talked to her with all malice and a thinly controlled explosion of rage, but she now realized he'd not just been angry that she'd provoked him deliberately about Frigga. Ada had also reminded him that she wasn't there to see him because she wanted to, she was there to fulfill her duty. Had that fact irritated him? Knowing that the only company he would have was both forced, and fleeting.

Before Ada knew it, her feet stopped before the large prison doors. The guards looked down on her with some stoic suspicion.

"I am bid by the Queen to see the prince," she found herself lying through her teeth. A cold shiver ran down her spine at the lie, but she ignored it, doing everything in her power to seem calm and professional. One of the guards looked at her with more focus.

"For what purpose?" he demanded, glancing down at her empty hands resting at her sides. "You have nothing to deliver."

Ada inwardly cursed. She wished she had thought to stop at the library for more books, or even the kitchens for some trifling snack to bring.

"She requests a report on his wellbeing. Can you blame her for inquiring about her son?" She tried to appeal to the man's decency, but the guard only rolled his eyes. He was dark-haired and handsome, maybe, though much older than her. He shared an amused look with his companion, a coarse man who didn't seem to care one way or another. No doubt to these battle-hardened men, she seemed young and naïve and sentimental.

But there wasn't much they could do about an order from the Queen. King Odin had only decreed that Frigga couldn't visit the fallen prince; as far as these guards were concerned, Ada truly was just a working member of the palace. A servant.

"Just be quick," he said gruffly.

Ada inclined her head and focused her gaze on the ground as she stepped between the guards, moving past them quickly. Thanks to the efforts of Thor, Sif, and the Warriors Three, the cellblock was gradually filling up with prisoners. Many of them leered and shouted vile and indiscernible things as she walked by, but Ada did her best to ignore them.

She hadn't been down here in nearly two weeks, but Loki looked much the same. His long black hair was well-groomed, and he dressed in more comfortable clothing that still resembled his leather armor, a deep green and black.

And he was ignoring her.

Lounging on his side on the long sofa while he languidly turned the page on a book. If Ada remembered right, that one was a fictional murder mystery that she had found deep in a forgotten corner of the library. In fact, she'd been surprised to find a copy of it there. It was a book she'd read herself and had very much enjoyed.

The plot centered on an older wealthy man, surrounded by a truly despicable family who clung to the man for the promise of inheriting his fortune. Save for a young woman they'd hired to be his caretaker and healer for his declined health. She was an outsider within this family, but she was the only one who treated the man with respect and kindness, and became his confidant. Until his untimely death, that is.

Though throughout the subsequent investigation, it was revealed that each member of his family had a reason for wanting him dead: in some way or form, protecting their inheritance claim on his money.

"Have you discovered the true killer yet?" Ada asked. For a moment Loki didn't respond or even acknowledge her, to the point that she thought he would continue ignoring her. A lance of hot irritation struck her. His look of indifference was irrationally boiling the very blood in her veins. If this was how he was going to be, then she would leave.

_Why did I bother coming here in the first place—_

"The caretaker," Loki said, without looking up at her. "It's already been revealed that she confused the dosages of his medications. He slit his own throat to protect her from the law's justice."

Ada relaxed, uncoiling from her annoyance and smiling a little. She wanted to ask if he had been as surprised as she had to discover it, but he answered her question before she could open her mouth.

"It was obvious, from the beginning. She was the only one without a proper motive," he drawled.

Ada blinked in confusion.

"And yet, you suspected her?" she asked. Loki huffed in slight boredom.

"It would disservice the story to choose a more obvious character."

She nodded, admitting that was true. But she also knew that there was more to the story. She could see he was only about halfway through the book.

"It's not so much about the accidental murder, but how she might get away with it," she told him. Loki's eyes finally shifted upwards to meet hers. They were intensely green and focused on her gray ones, which were dark as slate under the dim prison lights.

"This family is well used to playing social games of intrigue, harming each other with veiled barbs of malice, jealousy, and greed," Ada said. She stared back at him, just as focused as he was on her.

"Will she be forced to play their game to save herself, or will she succumb to the pressure of her lie?" she posed with a smile on her lips, then she finally turned to take her leave. "Next time, you can tell me what you think of how it ends."

Loki's voice stopped her before she could get very far down the hall.

"It tends to be the most soft-hearted beings, who find themselves playthings of the wicked," he said. Ada looked back at him over her shoulder and saw that he was standing there, watching her from near the edge of his cell. He looked at her with that predator gaze again, his tall frame coiled and deceptively calm. His head tilted as a small smirk grew on his lips.

"Do you know why?" he asked.

Ada didn't reply, but she did turn back to face him fully. She was captured by the measured way he spoke and moved, but nerves pricked at her spine all the same for the way he looked at her. Logically she knew he couldn't harm her behind the walls of the cell. Fandral's warning came back to her then.

That didn't mean he was any less dangerous.

"Because the naïve are often too curious of what lies in the darkness," he said. Ada couldn't look away from his face, sharp and beautiful, but eyes hollowed in shadow because of the stark lights above them.

"Eager to touch," Loki said, "to flirt with its razor edge before becoming tainted by it. That is why they are fools to the game."

"How so?" she asked, trying to seem collected and indifferent to his obvious attempt to intimidate her. Though she was sure he saw straight through her calm exterior. He was looking at her knowingly, like he understood exactly why she had come here.

"That darkness already exists, flickering like a small flame within them," Loki's smirk showed teeth as his gaze angled down at her. "One need only make it bloom into wildfire."

"Unless," Ada said haltingly, smiling in return, "they refuse to play the game."

She left him then, determined _not_ to look back once she started towards the doors. She didn't know what she had wanted to gain from visiting him, and she wasn't sure that it hadn't done more harm than good to her own muddled state of mind. But she walked with more confidence than perhaps she felt out of the prison, and back towards the light of the palace.

In his cell, Loki frowned deeply. He waved his proud, smirking illusion away with a tired hand, revealing his true unkempt appearance. His hair was a frizzy mess, and his clothing was wrinkled and probably not as fresh since he'd been wearing them for days.

No one was watching him, so he settled back onto the sofa with a small wince as his back cracked with ache. He let his head roll back over the armrest of the seat and he stared up, wincing at the lights. Soon they would turn off automatically, but as usual, he had no mind for sleep.

Loki closed his eyes with a long sigh, and all he could see was the somewhat charming gleam in Lady Ada's expressive eyes. Just as he remembered, they were filled with intelligence and a wary perceptiveness, but ultimately, rather innocent…and kind. He knew she had not been ordered to see him so late at night. Perhaps, she had not been ordered at all.

He snorted in a more cynical amusement. _Soft-hearted indeed._

* * *

The day Prince Thor brought the human Jane Foster to Asgard, Ada wasn't sure what to make of the small Midgardian. She was mouthy and disrespectful to the All-Father, but clearly she was smart if she could understand the mechanics of the Soul Forge.

What Ada did know, was that the amount of energy surging inside her was unnatural. A red, inky coil traveling up and down through the young woman's blood within her veins. It likely wasn't of Midgard, and Ada had never seen or read anything of the sort, even in Lady Frigga's more advanced books of spells and incantations.

"Something is within her, Father. Something I have not seen before," said Prince Thor. He was right to be worried, and Ada thought, despite her utmost respect for their King, that the All-Father was hasty to dismiss it.

"Her world has its healers. They're called doctors, let them deal with it," Odin commanded. "Guards, take her back to Midgard!"

Before the guards could do the King's bidding, a force, a scarlet haze, burst forth from the Midgardian. It repelled the men and made the rest of them shield themselves from the light and power of it. Afterwards, Jane briefly lost consciousness and rested on the healing table.

Thor checked on her immediately, and though Ada was afraid of what had just happened (never had she witnessed such power), it was interesting to see the prince act so tenderly towards a human. She had long thought it would be Lady Sif to catch his eye, but his love for Jane Foster was clear as day.

King Odin brushed him aside to examine for himself what lied in her blood. His singular eye widened marginally. "It's impossible."

"The infection, it's…defending her," Mariel said.

"No," Thor said. "It's defending itself."

* * *

"It's a relic from a dark, ancient past," Lady Frigga explained. Ada listened with rapt attention as they sat with tea in one of her spacious chambers. She had largely used it for entertaining guests and for reading, but ever since the start of Ada's apprenticeship, they had been using it as their grounds for learning, practicing, and training.

It had only been a few months, but already Ada felt changed from who she had been before they'd began.

Now, the afternoon light from the balcony filtered in, casting a warm glow inside the room.

"The dark elves of Svartalfheim once used it to rule over the realms in darkness. It was the efforts of Odin's father Bor who put an end to their king, Malekith, and snuffed them all out. Supposedly with the Aether included," she said.

Trepidation crawled slowly up Ada's spine. "But if the Aether lives, what does it mean for the dark elves?"

"Nothing yet," Frigga soothed. "But remember this. The art of magic is expanding your awareness, giving full range of motion to each of your senses. Not only to protect others, but first to protect yourself."

Frigga touched Ada's hand, and her blue eyes were sharp as they were warm. "You are not only a healer, Adalheid. You are now a sorceress as well. Keep your eyes open, even when you cannot see so clearly what lies ahead."

Ada didn't entirely understand. The Queen's words were cryptic at best, but she took them to heart all the same. She remembered that Frigga had the gift of foresight, rare even among those able to practice magic.

"Do you like the tea?" Frigga asked suddenly. Ada paused in confusion at the abrupt change of subject.

"The…tea? Oh, yes. It's lovely," Ada said. And it was true, the tea was fragrant and aromatic.

_Spice and rose._

Yes, the smell was all too familiar. She suddenly remembered Loki's petulance—his ire even, when she refused his wishes and tried to bring out some remorse from him.

"Valerian root, rose, and mixed spices," Frigga nodded. Her smile didn't quite reach her eyes. "It's a calming brew, one my mother developed. When they were young, I often used it to soothe my children if they were ill, or anxious."

Ada nodded, something heavy dropping in her heart. She now understood why Loki had scorned her. Maybe pleasant memories of comfort were no longer a balm, but a weapon in themselves.

 _It's never just tea, is it?_ Ada mused.

Frigga then stood, gathering her skirts. "Come, I believe it's time I met the Midgardian my son is so enamored with."

"You wish me to accompany you, my Queen?" Ada asked. She followed Frigga out of the chamber and down the palace halls.

"Why not? Perhaps we'll be able to discern something of what lies inside her."

"You think we'll be able to find a way to release it from her?"

"Probably not, but it shouldn't hurt to examine it further," Frigga said. "Have you had a chance to greet your brother since the warriors' return?"

Ada looked down at the ground while they walked. With everything going on, she'd completely forgotten to seek out Fandral. She hadn't seen him in many months. Vira too was beginning to worry about her, as she spent almost all of her time in the palace between her responsibilities in the Halls of Healing and her apprenticeship with Lady Frigga. It was kind of her to consider Ada's wellbeing.

"I will soon, your Majesty," she said. Frigga nodded with a smile.

"See that you do."

It wasn't long before they came upon Prince Thor and Lady Jane. They made a romantic picture, leaning close to one another with hands intertwined on a balcony. The warmth in Thor's expression was obvious, and endearing to see. Though it made Ada somewhat uncomfortable to glimpse such a side to the normally strong and…well, he wasn't exactly a stoic man as King Odin. But he was their future king who wore the responsibility of leadership well.

Thor took his lady's hand and turned to them as they approached. "Jane Foster, please meet Lady Frigga of Asgard, my mother."

Clearly intimidated by the prospect of meeting his mother the Queen, Jane offered Frigga an awkward attempt at a curtsey. She accepted it with grace and good humor.

Thor then gave Ada a smile in greeting. "And Lady Ada, a talented healer, sister to Fandral of the Warriors Three."

"Oh! I remember him," Jane said. "Robin Hood, right?"

Ada could only assume she meant Fandral. She inclined her head with a pleasant smile of her own. "Yes, the blonde incorrigible one. I pride myself on being the more level-headed sibling."

"He's been trying to find you, by the way," Thor said. Ada found that rather hard to believe. The warriors had been home at least a week, and still he hadn't come to see her. While Ada should share some of the blame, it wasn't as if she was the harder one to find. Suddenly the thought irritated her more than she cared to admit.

"Yes, it seems his first instincts upon arriving home were not to reunite with his family," Ada remarked. Perhaps her upset showed, because Thor's expression became sympathetic. She could also tell he wanted to help defend his friend. While Jane and Frigga spoke to one another, Thor leaned towards her to speak more quietly.

"I'm sure he only got taken up in the revelry from our victory. You know how he loses track of time."

"Yes, I'm sure he's knee-deep in revelry at this very moment," Ada soured, "whatever their names are."

Thor began to chuckle, but at her less than amused frown, he covered it with a cough.

Ada jumped a bit as the sound of alarms rang loudly through the palace, shattering the peaceful afternoon. Frigga looked to her son gravely. "The prisons."

"Loki," Thor grimaced. Ada's eyes grew wide with shock. How in all the realms had Loki managed to escape his cell?

Thor looked to his mother, then to Jane.

"Go, I will look after her," Frigga said. The prince needed no more urging. He ran back up onto the balcony and leapt from it, calling his hammer to guide him to the other end of the palace where the prison alarms still sounded.

Ada gave Jane a supportive smile and urged her to follow with Frigga down the corridors. They were soon met with the All-Father and his royal guard behind him. He was issuing orders up until the moment Frigga called to him.

"It's a skirmish, nothing to fear," he told her. Frigga's smile told another story.

"You've never been a very good liar," she said. "It isn't Loki, is it? It's Malekith, here for the Aether."

Ada swallowed the gasp she nearly let out.

King Odin betrayed none of his thoughts. "Take her to your chambers. I'll come for you when it's safe."

"You take care," Frigga reminded him. A quirk of a smile touched Odin's lips as he reached for her cheek.

"After all I have survived, my queen still worries over me." He moved to rejoin his waiting soldiers, but Frigga still looked wryly over her shoulder.

"It's only because I worry over you that you have survived."

* * *

Frigga led Ada and Jane to her chambers with express orders to follow what she bid, exactly as she bid it. Ada felt fear deep in her gut, threatening to freeze her limbs at any moment. But she could rely on Frigga's clear commands, even if she didn't agree with what her Queen had planned.

She didn't like at all the idea of being defended when Ada should be the one to protect her Queen. Her mistress.

"Your Majesty…Lady Frigga, I don't feel comfortable hiding behind you when I am supposed to be at your command. You've trained me—"

"And that training is not yet complete," Frigga said. Her expression was terse, and her voice didn't allow for an argument. "Since you are at my command, do as I say."

She had never been harsh with Ada before, but she knew Frigga meant what she said. Humbled into obedience, she stood behind a hidden corner of the chamber with Jane.

"Call up a screen to hide you, and make sure it conceals you from sound as well as sight," Frigga instructed. It hadn't been long since Ada learned such a spell, but she raised her hands hesitantly. She took a breath to steady herself, and she recalled the spell. The words flowed through her mind, and she spread her hands outward from the center. A wall materialized in a pale blue haze, then settled. She knew it would now be invisible to everyone but her, the caster.

"Stay quiet, though just know that no one should be able to hear or see us from outside this wall," she told Jane, who nodded. Her eyes were wide and scared, but she trusted Frigga. Perhaps she also trusted Ada.

They waited in silence for a time. Long enough that Ada had hope that no one would come for them and the Aether. That Thor and King Odin and the other warriors would be successful in driving out Malekith's forces.

Then the chamber doors opened. Ada held her breath as heavy boots fell on the marble floor. They left bloody prints behind when they finally came into view. She couldn't be sure, but to hazard a guess, this was Malekith, a dark elf with hair pale as silver. His armor was worn and battered.

"Stand down, _creature_ , and you may still survive this," Ada heard Lady Frigga's voice. The sound of her short sword cutting through the air.

"I have survived worse, woman. And I would have what is mine," the Elf's voice sounded base and gravel. Ada felt the urge to press her hand against the barrier she'd created. It was the worst frustration, not being able to see what was happening. She heard the illusion of Jane there as a bait for Malekith.

Their battle began, and the more Ada listened, the worse she felt for hiding.

Just then, she watched a great beast of what seemed like a man, but for the horns sprouting from his head, step through the chamber. Ada's eyes widened, her breath stilled. When she heard her mistress's cry, it was the exact moment she decided to step out of the barrier, only to watch the creature drive a jagged sword through Lady Frigga.

Ada wasn't aware of her own scream, nor of King Odin or of Thor as he tore through the room and unleashed his rage upon Malekith. Ada couldn't register the enemies escaping. She only fell to her knees beside the Queen and touched the gaping wound that bled so profusely over her shaking hands, rich in dark scarlet.

_Magic is your force of will._

She stared down at Frigga's unfocused, open eyes, the blue in them already dimming. Ada breathed once, and the words of a spell took shape in her mind. Her hands pressing to the wound beneath glowed with magic, a crisp azure blue. She didn't know rightly what she was doing, her own thoughts were far from her. Except for one.

A tingling sensation began from her belly, her fingers, then spread through the rest of her body. Soon, her very blood inside her veins felt ignited by cold fire—an even more painful pounding in her head. Voices around her fell away, and she saw darkness growing in the corners of her vision, until it took her entirely into shadow.

* * *

Loki waited until the guard left him to solitude before his fists clenched, releasing a shock of his power inside the cell. His teeth ground, yet he had no outlet for his rage.

_They would_ _**dare** _ _…_

Then came a terrible force of self-loathing, that his own actions had caused this.

" _Take the stairs to the left."_

Giving that beast any insight had been a mistake. One that had almost costed him…

He threw those thoughts aside and was immediately assaulted by another. He didn't want to picture her weak. Pale and small in a healing bed. At the very least, she must not have been conscious, saving her from suffering pain. But what the hell had happened?

And how was Frigga still alive?

The curse of his present existence was, he was made to wait. Typically, he was a patient man. But even Loki had his limits.

Still, there was nothing for it. The darkness scratched at the inner walls of his mind, screaming for exit. He held it at bay with whatever could distract him, whether tearing the pages of a book or shattering a glass, overturning a table. The teapot remained untouched.

As the Warriors Three had slaughtered his company during the prisoners' escape, he was alone to shout out his rage and frustrations as often as he wished without having to conjure a sound barrier. And it both pleased and maddened him to hear his own voice echoing off the empty walls of the prison block.

He wasn't sure how much time passed before his dear brother traveled low into the prison to find him. What for, Loki wasn't entirely certain.

"What happened?" he asked. Thor played at being stoic, but Loki read the truth of his shame.

"She stopped Malekith from taking possession of the Aether. For the moment."

When no further explanation was forthcoming, Loki pressed with mounting irritation, "And?"

"Mother is stable," Thor said. "That is all you need to know."

"Then why come down here at all?" Loki fell back on taunting, to mask the true depths of his rage and frustration. "Why _lower_ yourself to the depths of this hellish pit?"

Thor's grip on his hammer tightened, and he said, "I've come to offer you a rich sacrament. Vengeance."

Loki watched Thor, calculating in his mind all the ways he must have considered this to be his only option. The All-Father was likely preventing him to take the fight directly to Malekith, instead aiming to lure the creature back to Asgard. He could imagine why Thor, with all his newfound altruism, would balk at the idea of putting the realm at risk for a full-scale war.

He smiled slowly.

"I'm listening."

* * *

She returned to the world sluggishly. Painfully. Pushing her eyes open with incredible difficulty, Ada saw flickers of light among shadows. An unfamiliar room, amidst a golden ceiling. She felt a gentle pressure resting on her hand.

With all her might, she tried to lift her hand, but it wouldn't obey her.

_Fine then._

Perhaps one finger. She focused her energy on that movement, until she was able to brush against something strange. An ear? And strands of hair.

She heard a disgruntled noise, annoyed and male. Finally, she was able to truly open her eyes. She focused on the figure at her right side, who sat up and looked over at her in shock. His gray eyes, so familiar to her own, became red with unshed tears.

It took much effort, but she was able to speak with a soft exhale of breath, "Brother…"

Happiness shone in those eyes, though his expression twisted with pain.

"Ada, how do you feel?" Fandral asked. She felt her strength returning to her, gradually. When he took her hand in his, she was able to grasp it properly.

"I…don't know," she confessed. It was hard to move her body, as if she'd been sleeping for ages. Tears pricked at her eyes as panic started to set in, roiling in her stomach like nausea. "I don't know."

"Hey now, it's all right," Fandral soothed, sensing her distress. He carded gentle fingers through her loose hair and touched her cheek. "You're safe. I'm here with you now."

"Where were you?" she asked accusingly. The tears fell, streaming from the corners of her eyes down her neck and to the pillow beneath her head.

"The prisoners had escaped. I and the other Warriors Three had to…deal with them," Fandral said.

"No! Where were you before?" Ada insisted. She tried to sit up, only to fall back onto the pillows as dizziness took over. Fandral chided her for it, even as his brows furrowed in shame.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

Her anger didn't fade in light of his contrition. "Why ask what you already know? It had been nearly a year since I saw you last, yet you didn't think to come see me when you returned. Were your slew of whores more important than your only living family?"

Fandral winced, but he didn't try to refute the accusation.

"I'm…sorry. I suppose was being selfish." He gave a deprecating smile. "You know me."

" _Suppose_ ," she muttered, but didn't have the energy to argue further. She groaned; there was an aching pain stemming from the base of her skull. "What happened?"

Now that she was a bit more awake and aware, Ada could see that she was lying under a healing dome that the Halls of Healing reserved for long-term cases. Her memory of the immediate present was still foggy.

"You don't remember? They're calling it the Sacking of Asgard," Fandral said.

"The Aether—"

"Thor handled it. He…took a more direct path against Malekith, but the battle is won. He returned to Midgard. I suspect to be with that human girl, Jane Foster."

Relief brought renewed feeling down to her toes as Ada smiled. Lady Jane was safe then. Asgard was safe. Ada would question more about that in a moment, but a more pressing thought finally occurred to her.

"Brother, what did I do?" she asked, grasping his hand desperately. "What happened to the Queen?"

Fandral's expression became something strange, a mixture of caution and relief, and wonder.

"Lady Frigga lives," he said. "Whatever you did, it saved her long enough for Mistress Mariel to stabilize her. But she hasn't woken…they fear it will be a while yet before she does."

New tears sprang to her eyes then. If the Queen still lived, then it was all worth it.

"Is there anything else I should know?" she asked.

"Before you sleep again, you mean?" Fandral teased. This time that grin of his lit his eyes, crinkling in the corners. "You're blinking and yawning like a kitten."

"I'll wipe that stupid grin from your face," Ada quipped. Though indeed, she yawned a second time.

"Well, you won't have to worry about playing messenger for the Queen any longer," he said. His smile slipped. "Loki is dead."

Ada's face fell. Shock kept her from masking her reaction, but it was too late. She felt the burn of tears in her eyes, while Fandral's smile faded into a frown. Blinking quickly to keep her tears from falling, Ada held his hand tighter. She didn't know why she felt this way for a man who likely saw her as no more than simple amusement. A man who had done vile things.

He had also been a prince of Asgard, a son, and a brother. And she had tried to look after him in whatever small way, perhaps for their sake.

Taking in a long, shaking breath, Ada grew enough courage to ask.

"What happened?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So little disclaimer, I borrowed the plot of the murder mystery from Knives Out, a movie Chris Evans did recently that I just fell in love with. For those who haven't seen it yet, it's awesome!


	4. A Hallowed Midsummer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy! We're getting to the meat of the story now.

Vira sighed once again.

"I can't help you if you refuse to let me work."

Ada laughed. "Midsummer is not just about the feast, you know."

"Perhaps, but _it_ _is_ tonight. You asked me to help you get ready for it, so I took the valuable time for which I should have been practicing my lyre. And now I am here," she said. Vira placed her hand on her hips and looked down at her narrowly, concocting a vision in her mind of what Ada should wear.

"You always practice," Ada said, smiling indulgently. What her friend craved most was flattery, and she was willing to give it. "It's why you've become so excellent."

"No, my friend. I am the _best_ ," Vira sniffed. Though she was sorting through gowns of various fabrics. She began yanking out options from Ada's rather lacking selection of clothing.

"All the more for Iselda's teachings," Vira added. A sadness crept into her voice, though she was determined not to show it. She was proud, but Ada knew her mother's death had affected Vira nearly as hard. Iselda had been a gifted musician, and Vira her greatest success in an apprentice.

"You do her proud," Ada said warmly.

Vira oddly didn't acknowledge that praise. Instead, she faced Ada with a dress, pale pink and accented with white. She grimaced and shook her head, returning it to the pile on Ada's bed. Vira's mother was a renowned seamstress. As a result, she had keen eye for these things. Or so she'd reminded many times. As usual, she was underwhelmed with Ada's tastes.

"Marus wanted to accompany you tonight, but he lost his nerve," Vira said. Ada chuckled.

"Sure. For certain he's ready to sweep yet another blonde into his embrace. He could give Fandral a run for his title."

"How long do you mean to spurn my brother's affections?" Vira questioned. Her expression was more serious than Ada was used to. "He makes a show of it because you ignore every signal he throws to you."

Ada frowned. "Surely you're joking."

She'd never thought Marus honestly considered her in such a way. It made her blush, thinking she could have missed his true intentions for so long. Vira smiled.

Then the door to Ada's home opened, saving her from further embarrassment. Fandral entered with all his usual bravado that served to entertain Vira and no one else.

Yet Ada supposed it was sweet of him to check on her as often as he did. After she'd recovered enough to be sent home, he stayed with her day and night until she was able to take care of herself without tiring, or forgetting her tasks. Her memory had suffered for a few short weeks, but Mariel was confident this was only temporary—a side effect from utilizing so much of her life energy at once to perform such a powerful spell.

" _That should have been beyond your abilities,_ " as her former mistress had put it. She'd prescribed rest, and Ada wouldn't be allowed back to the Halls of Healing for another week. It truly was annoying, not being able to perform her usual tasks of preparing for Midsummer festivities. But at the very least she could attend the feast as normal.

"How was your search today?" Ada asked. Fandral sat heavily at her table and poured himself a sweet wine.

"Heimdall does _not_ want to be found. We swept the southern villages, and nothing. If he's still on Asgard, we'll likely never find him," he said.

The King had accused Heimdall of being neglectful of his duty, and so had declared him a traitor who disappeared shortly after. Ada had found the charge difficult to believe. But then again, it had been under his watch that Malekith and the dark elves had ravaged their home, and nearly killed their queen.

"Are you sure you're up to tonight?" Fandral asked. "Not that I don't want you to get out, expand your company—"

"Like you expand yours?" Vira dryly remarked. Fandral offered her a saucy wink, and Ada curiously took note of Vira's blush, despite her pursed lips. He took Ada's hand in both of his, patting it gently.

"I only want you to find your happiness, sister." Then, with a quick kiss to her cheek, he was off again. He plucked one of the fruits ripening on the kitchen's windowsill and took a generous bite, waving even as he was going out the door.

"I see why the Midgardians call him a pirate," Vira muttered.

Ada touched her chin thoughtfully. "I believe it's more of a…chivalrous outlaw."

"Whatever," her friend waved a dismissive hand. "Come now, you must try on this dress. I think the color will suit you marvelously."

* * *

For all his voracious appetite for food, Volstagg could be a terrible flirt when he wanted to be. Considering that his faithfulness to his wife was above reproach, Ada felt it was the flattery of an older brother as he twirled her by the hand, despite her embarrassment.

"What is this vision of beauty!" he laughed. He struck an elbow in Marus's side, as he stood nearby with a pitcher of ale. "Ey, boy?"

The drink jostled and Marus grimaced in pain, but when he was able to glance at Ada, his eyes and smile grew appreciatively. Ada blushed, ignoring Vira's smirk.

Marus only faltered when Fandral laughingly slapped the young man hard on the back.

"She is, isn't she? Why don't you have a dance with her," he said, shoving both Marus and Ada forward.

"It would be my pleasure," Marus agreed with a smile.

"Just mind your hands," Fandral warned. "I'll just be over here…drinking. You know, nearby."

"Fandral!" she exclaimed, still blushing.

Marus's smile turned a touch nervous, while Ada sighed. She supposed Marus did cut an attractive figure. He was a warrior, part of the King's army, and she knew for a fact he was a talented dancer. Vira had assured her that he wouldn't let her look the fool if she chose to dance with him, as long as she let him lead.

After a moment's hesitation, Ada felt emboldened enough to grab his hand. Marus looked down her, surprised but pleased.

"I'm afraid I won't make much of a dance partner, but would you care to try it?" she said, offering a bolder grin than she felt.

"I'd love nothing more," he admitted.

So Ada let him lead her into a dance. He was indeed skilled, and she only tripped once over her own feet. She counted it as an accomplishment. All the while, Marus held her gently. They talked of their interests, his hobby of fishing in the great river, her weakness for sweets.

It was three more songs until they finally took a rest, joining Vira to watch the theatrical performance of _The Tragedy of Loki of Asgard_. It was a new production that had just been released this past month, both to celebrate the defeat of Malekith, and of course, to commemorate the fallen prince.

Ada found her mind drifting during the second act, and her gaze fell on King Odin, who watched from a high balcony in the palace. His attendants stood nearby with trays of cheeses, breads, and wine, and he ate from them often. Perhaps he was getting lonelier with Prince Thor gone, his second son dead, and his wife who still slept, but Ada couldn't help but think the King was growing rather self-indulgent.

Just as she'd thought such a thing, she shook her head, berating herself. _Because_ of those things, she should be more gracious. It seemed that despite Loki's hatred of Odin, the All-Father had truly loved him. Why else honor him in such a way?

"Are you all right, Ada?" Marus asked.

"Hmm?" Ada was jolted from her thoughts. She blinked up at him curiously. "Oh yes, I'm fine."

"Ada, are you not feeling well?" Vira leaned over, peering at her closely. "Too much wine?"

A woman in the row in front of them turned around to give a disapproving look. " _Hush!_ You're disrupting the performance."

Vira glared at her at once.

"Close your mouth, Gerda. Lest you catch more flies," she hissed. Ada sighed. There wasn't need to be so rude, but the sentiment in her concern did make her smile.

"That, and perhaps too much spinning," she said, offering Marus a look of apology.

"Well, then allow me to accompany you," he said kindly. Ada shook her head.

"No, it's fine really. Stay and enjoy yourselves."

Really there was nothing wrong. But perhaps she could use some quiet for a moment. The music from the performance had been very loud. She stood and made her exit as discreetly as she could, and quickly so Vira couldn't stop her. Between her and Fandral, she hadn't had much time alone with her thoughts.

She grabbed a goblet of wine and soon a calming sip as she entered the palace. The guards knew her well enough that she could travel to the Halls of Healing by herself without being questioned, but at the last moment, she took a turn. Perhaps they would allow her to see Lady Frigga. She made a point of visiting her bedside as often as she could, but no matter what she tried, she could do more for her than she had that day of the attack. Mariel stopped her before she could exhaust herself, but one day, Ada knew she would be strong enough to perform the spell again.

Stuck in these thoughts, her path through the palace wandered just the same. Until she found a large pair of doors to a dark staircase, just then closing. Ada pressed her back to the wall and cloaked herself with a spell before the approaching guards could spot her.

When she was sure they'd gone far enough out of hearing, she curiously went to the doors. They looked heavy, but what were they protecting? A saying her father had spoken many times returned to her then.

_You shouldn't poke at a sleeping dragon…_

But what was the dragon, in this case? Despite her better judgment that warned her again, this wasn't a good idea, she pulled on one of the doors with her free hand that didn't hold the wine, calling some magic to give her strength. It opened to her.

They led to a deep chasm made of marble and stone, holding several objects on pedestals. Some were weapons, swords and axes. Some held strange and powerful auras (she stayed clear of them), while others were held down firmly in chains.

Finally she came to a cube bright and blue and glowing. It stole her attention for a moment, until she heard footsteps just ahead. She carefully stepped around the corner, squinting to see who it was. If it was the All-Father, she would have to pray he didn't perceive her through her spell.

Whoever it was, he was tall. His hair long, while his cape brushed the floor.

_Prince Thor?_

The man turned, showing a lithe profile. Dark brows, and a pale face.

Ada gasped loudly, her hand raising all too slowly to stop her mouth from uttering the sound. The wine clattered to the floor out of her hands.

With the All-Father's spear in hand, Prince Loki turned to her slowly. A smirk spread across his face, and he moved toward her with all the predatory grace she remembered. Closer in the light, she could see the color of his green and gold armor more clearly.

"What a waste," he sighed.

To her confusion, he bent over to pick up the goblet.

"I-It's…impossible!" Ada stuttered. "You're dead."

Loki's smile quirked at the corner.

"Yes, well, I've been dead before."

Ada opened her mouth to scream, but all she managed to do was breathe in the powder he blew forcefully into her face. She felt the odd prickle of magic, then knew nothing at all.

She later woke in dark, unfamiliar chambers. They were dimly lit, but she could tell the room was spacious and had been untouched for quite a while.

She laid on a bed of silk sheets, their color a deep green. _Oh gods…_

"I trust you're having a pleasant Midsummer," his dark voice drawled.

Fear and anxiety coiled deep within her. She scrambled off the bed, but otherwise stayed still once she was on her feet. Her gaze finally settled on him, leaning casually against the wall with his arms crossed. He no longer had Odin's spear, Gungir, but she didn't forget that he could conjure it if he chose.

Either way, her situation didn't bode well. She swallowed, trying to appear as if she had more courage than she had. "Release me. Or I will—"

"What," he said flatly. "What will _you_ do?"

"Will you kill me then, like so many others?" Ada asked him. "Would you also slay Asgardians for your quest to rule us?"

Loki smirked. He moved slowly across the room, and she matched his steps in the opposite direction. "You would appeal to my _honor_? Not a great plan."

"Perhaps," she nodded. "But do you really want the headache my death would cause you? My brother won't rest until he has the truth, and soon you'll be exposed once more."

"Or I can cast that fool to Midgard, along with Lady Sif," he countered. "He'll hardly remember to return home."

"Answer me this, then. What did you do to the King?" Ada asked. "How could you betray your father?"

"He is _not—_ " Loki paused, closing his eyes a moment to settle his anger as he chuckled. Ada froze.

"That old wretched _fool_ is not my father, and is no longer an obstacle in my path," he continued. "And for the record, he betrayed _me_."

Ada's voice was soft as a whisper. "Have you murdered him?"

In a flash of his disappeared illusion, Loki's hand wrapped around her throat. He walked her back to one of the wooden bed posts until its edges poked into her. She clawed at his hand and struggled, but his grip was far too strong.

He leaned close, until she felt his breath on her ear. "Perhaps you should consider your own fate, which so pressingly hangs in the balance."

Even with her anger, her body shivered involuntarily. She grasped his wrists, but for as iron as his hold was, she could breathe easily. It wasn't yet painful, but panic like she'd never felt before still rose in her. Would he kill her, here and now, or would he first force her into his bed?

"Is this truly what you are?" she asked desperately.

* * *

It was a spot of bad luck.

Loki counted it a minor setback, but no real threat to his plans. Though he had to wonder how such a girl was able to sneak up behind him in the weapons chamber of all places. Like a mouse encountering a snake in the garden.

Now though, Loki watched her panicked gaze flick briefly to the bed behind them. He nearly rolled his eyes.

"Don't flatter yourself," he said, willing to dispel that fear at least. Regardless, his smirk grew. "What sort of monster do you take me for, exactly?"

"Guess!" she growled. The kick came swiftly between his legs, and he hated that he'd counted on her fear to paralyze her, surprised (only slightly) by her audacity as he buckled with a hiss. He was well used to pain, but that was just enough to buy her a few feet of space as she looked in vain for a weapon.

Straightening up his back as he recovered, Loki watched her in amusement as she decided on a candlestick holder.

"Brilliant choice," his words dripped with sarcasm. But he was soon forced to duck as the gold object hurled past his head, along with whatever else she could get her hands on. Namely a clock, three books, a pillow, and his personal favorite, an entire chess set.

"Are you done?" he asked. Ada's chest heaved for breath, her brown hair coming out of its lovely coil in wild strands around her face. She burned with anger.

"Go to Hel!"

Loki smirked, raising placating hands. "All right, fine. Let's consider this."

He allowed yet another illusion of his to disappear before her eyes. For her, it would seem as if he'd just appeared behind her, where he had avoided her many projectiles.

He took her arm, forcing her to sit at the table (the only furniture that remained standing upright). Loki took the seat opposite, leaning back and crossing his legs.

Ada huffed, breathing heavily, but she stayed where she was. She held a powerful glare that served to widen his grin. More fire than he remembered.

She had made a fair point before, however. Her absence would be a touch harder to explain, and the spell he had cast on the All-Father was much too…concussive, to be a practical solution here. He called a familiar book to him, and it materialized in his hands. Ada's stormy eyes were drawn to it.

"Have you heard of the Original Vow?" he asked. Suspicion crept into her gaze.

"No," she said flatly. "Should I have?"

"Perhaps, if you were indeed learning the art of magic from my mother," Loki raised a brow. She blinked at him in surprise. Surely she should have guessed that he'd know of her apprenticeship, and what she'd done with that knowledge as of late.

"It's more commonly called the Vow of Silence," Loki continued. He opened the book to the correct page and showed her. She looked down, and the more she read, the more her lips pressed into a line.

"What do you want then?" she asked.

"You will not reveal my presence, or utter my name or this spell to anyone but myself," he grinned. "It's a simple thing, much more preferable than death."

"What if I'd rather take my chances?" Ada said. Her head tilted as she regarded him coolly. Loki found it interesting how quickly her anger dimmed to a more focused calculation, but still, he was able to read each and every emotion that filtered through her eyes.

"At this point, it's not only your death in offer," Loki replied. He watched her focus slip into doubt and fear. "Your brother, perhaps? I could make that witless oaf's demise appear even more accidental than your own."

He leaned in. "But don't worry. You'll get a front seat when I separate that idiotic head from the rest of his body."

" _Stop_ ," Ada shouted. He shouldn't have been surprised by her tears, but they burned a trail down her unnaturally pale cheeks. Her eyes shone with anger and fear, a watery gray that still managed to pierce him.

She reached out suddenly, grabbing the inside of his wrist. "Do it."

Loki nodded, smirking slightly. He liked her recklessness. It called to his growing need to relieve his boredom.

So his fingers curled around her wrist, and he envisioned the words he'd long ago memorized. She cried out as the spell burned its mark, while he grit his teeth at the pain. It gradually faded, as did the marks into their skin.

The bargain was struck.

* * *

Ada clutched her hand to her chest and she fairly stumbled home. She still felt the phantom of its heat scorching her skin, the magic wrapping around her arm like a vice. The weight in her chest was indescribable, pulling her down with such force.

Perhaps it was getting easier the further she walked, the longer the spell had time to settle inside her. But she hardly was able to breathe until she stepped through the door of her home.

Instead of darkness, she was greeted by a relieved sigh. "Thank the gods, Ada."

Fandral grasped her arms, looking down at her in worry.

"Where have you been? Why didn't you let Vira walk you home? Why didn't you—"

Ada had no energy for his questions, no matter how much she wanted to. She flung her arms around him, grateful for the safety of his arms and the familiarity of his warmth.

"I'm sorry…I think I got lost." The lie fell from her lips shakily, because the moment she tried to confess the entire truth, the weight in her chest grew so much worse.

"Lost?" Fandral asked incredulously. She felt the moment she realized what she was implying. Her muddled memory had been recovered completely for weeks now, but the lie was just as probable as any. Tears burned in her eyes again, though she refused to let them fall.

That night, Ada made a second vow.

By the gods, she would not allow the God of Mischief to get his way.


	5. The Rouse

Ada had spent a few days in the Halls of Healing, recovering after the attack on Asgard. Her memory of those days wasn't particularly clear, save for one afternoon. She had woken up gradually, but with a prickling feeling on her skin and gooseflesh on her arms.

She was being watched.

She sat up a little, her gaze wandering around the room. Until it fell on a figure standing near the door. As the drapes were closed, whoever it was, they were half-shaded in darkness. And then recognition dawned on her.

"All-Father!" she gasped in fright, holding her hand to her beating heart. _What in all the realms!_

King Odin stepped closer into the light, a somewhat apologetic look on his face. For once, he didn't hold Gungnir or wear his armor. He must have truly believed Asgard to be safe, finally, thanks to Prince Thor's actions on Midgard.

"I did not mean to frighten you," he said, "nor disturb you. I thought you might be awake."

"It's…no trouble at all, my King. I've been sleeping odd hours," Ada said. She offered him what meager bow she could from her bed. He waved her off with a placating hand.

"Please, be at ease. I only wanted," his expression took on a melancholy light, "to personally express my gratitude for what you have done."

Ada lowered her head with a dull blush. She didn't feel comfortable with his praise, and she didn't particularly think it was deserved.

Her voice weakened. "I should have been stronger."

Odin's movements showed his age as he went to sit on the lounge chair at her bedside.

"For a young woman, so fledgling in the ways of magic to have performed such a task." A reserved smile appeared on his lips. "It is noteworthy."

Ada shook her head, biting her lip against the tears that burned in her eyes. She didn't want to unravel in front of the King, but her body and her spirit both were weak. She couldn't escape her own failure. The time she had spent learning and reciting and conjuring—what had it all been for?

"In the end, I couldn't do it correctly," she sniffed. "Because of me, the Queen…"

"Child." His voice was both a gentle comfort and a command. Ada raised her head, despite her emotions roiling.

"The Queen only sleeps," he said. "When she wakes, I'm sure she'll have use of you yet."

* * *

Ada woke, more suddenly than she was used to. Her dream—a vivid memory, replayed in her mind. She rose and dressed, wasn't able to eat more than a slice of bread as her stomach rolled with nausea. Still, the memory of Odin came to her again and again.

_Why?_

Deep in her chest, something ached. It was heavy and uncomfortable and it did nothing for her nausea, but it did serve to remind her of what had happened the night before.

She held her wrist. It thrummed with a coil of invisible magic, singeing her fingertips. _I made a Vow of Silence with a vile trickster._

Then, her mouth fell open in a gasp. _That's it._

By the time she'd woken in the Halls of Healing, Fandral had told her the news that Thor returned to Midgard. Malekith was dead, and so was Prince Loki. In that time, Loki must have dispatched the All-Father and not protested too much when Thor requested leaving the throne behind on his way to Midgard.

But if that were the case, then the King she'd spoken to then…

Again, she remembered his words.

"… _To personally express my gratitude for what you have done."_

Ada took a shuddering breath. She prepared herself quickly to return to the palace, but just as she reached the door it opened on its own. Vira startled her, in turn startling herself.

"Where do you think you're going?" Vira asked incredulously. "You're going to tell me what happened last night, no excuses! And where is Fandral? He promised me he'd look after you."

Ada shook her head. Come to think of it, her errant brother hadn't been her when she'd woken up. Not that she had the time to consider it now. And if Vira really did start to question her, Ada wouldn't be able to give her the answers she was seeking. "I don't know, but I really must go. They're expecting me at the palace…I'm sorry, Vira."

"W-Wait this instant!"

Ada stepped around her friend and hurried down the path before Vira could stop her, mentally apologizing all the while. Honestly, she felt terrible for leaving without being able to explain, to quell Vira's obvious worry. But she very literally had no choice.

Mistress Mariel was surprised to see her at the Halls of Healing. Eris hardly paid her any mind at all.

"Are you unwell? I heard from Lord Fandral—"

"I'm fine," Ada said, more firmly than she meant to. "Actually, I'm ready to return to my duties."

Mariel scoffed. "You aren't meant to begin for another week, and only if I deem you sufficiently recovered."

"Examine me if you deem it wise, but I _am_ ready, Mistress," Ada said. She had never spoken to Mariel so boldly, and yet for once, her confidence didn't waver. Perhaps having gone through so much stress and fear for her life had hardened her nerves. Honestly, she was tired of being manipulated.

Perhaps Mariel noticed a change in Ada as well. She watched Ada with a question in her eyes. As she smiled, she looked intrigued as well as curious.

"Fine," Mariel agreed. "If you're so adamant, come and I will examine you."

Once Mariel finished her examination, she concluded that the spell of confusion Ada had experienced the night before was a result of too much wine to drink. But otherwise, she was fit enough to resume her tasks. Ada thanked her, but Mariel didn't put her to work with Eris, grinding new herbs for restocking their shelves. Instead, she gave her a fraying book of archaic healing remedies that Ada had gone through in her first years as an apprentice, just to know the history of those first rudimentary spells developed for healing.

"This is old, obsolete even," Ada frowned. "I'm far beyond this, Mistress."

Mariel's lips curved. "I thought you enjoyed learning _old_ magic. Perhaps you should return to your basics, lest you overwhelm yourself again."

Ada had disagreed with Mariel on things before, but never had she made Ada feel so simultaneously angry and inadequate. But most of all, she couldn't help the thought that Mariel may be right.

Lowering her head to hide her shame, she took the book with her outside the Halls of Healing. Ever since Lady Frigga had taken over her training, Ada had felt less welcome there. Perhaps Mariel felt betrayed in some way, but Ada didn't understand why such a thing would bother her when she had Eris. Despite her sometimes unsavory attitude, Eris was a very talented healer and a reliable apprentice.

Ada soon reached a sunny terrace overlooking one of the many palace courtyards. The sun was much too bright for her sour mood.

She sat on the stone edge of the balcony, touching the edges of the rather dusty book.

_Better get started, I suppose_. With a long sigh, she began reading.

* * *

Loki had woken up that morning with a splitting headache, of which nothing alleviated. Not food or drink, not any spell he could conjure. While he was by no means a stranger to pain, he'd found himself ordering his attendants and guards (in the guise of Odin, of course) not to disturb him under any circumstances.

After the fourth hour of no relief, Loki found no other course and finally ordered a pot of tea to be brewed. His mother's blend of spices and rose.

Such was his frustration. He'd nearly snapped a man's arm for taking too long with a simple pot, which unfortunately, didn't taste quite right. Loki also preferred not to dwell on why that was.

In fact, he could have dismissed the entire kitchen staff, right then and there. But at the last moment he regained a hold on his temper.

Even for Loki, this was indeed a foul mood.

It wasn't until he saw her that he stopped suddenly along the path back to his chamber. Fandral's sister sat lounging against the wall of the balcony with a book in hand. She flicked her long braided hair over her shoulder, a brighter copper hue than brunette while in the sun. There was something slightly intriguing about her contemplative expression. The way her brows furrowed, her head bent too closely to the page. And she pressed the pad of her thumb to her bottom lip, dragging it down.

When Loki realized while he'd been staring too long, that some of the pressure had eased in his skull. _Was it the spell between them that caused it?_

He frowned at the thought. If so, was she feeling the same discomfort that he was, or did the burden fall on the spellcaster? The weight of their secret.

Loki rolled his eyes and allowed the All-Father's facade to fall from him—only after he placed a barrier around the entire balcony. It would keep them from both view and hearing.

Ada noticed the green haze, and her head quickly turned to him with a start. Her gray eyes focused on him, first with anger, then with satisfaction. Had she been trying to find him?

Loki smirked at the thought.

"What do you want?" she demanded.

"You mean you weren't looking for me?" he asked, taking up a seat across from her on the balcony. She closed her book and frowned at him. Her lips pursed.

"Why are you here?" she tried instead. "Was the spell not enough, or have you come to muzzle me as well?"

Loki's smile grew at her cheek. He saw in her eyes that she had something more to say. No doubt she thought she knew something that he didn't. _Amateur._

"Doing some light reading, are we?" he remarked. He'd taken a glance at the tome in her hands, and didn't envy her. Such a drab, outdated thing would bore him to tears.

Ada touched the cover, something more conflicted in her expression. She set it down beside her on the balcony's edge. "I'm…refreshing my memory."

"Or regressing," Loki countered. "I thought the Lady Frigga had you on something a little more…advanced."

She shot him an irritated look. It was all too easy to tease her, bring out every one of those emotions playing on her face and in her body language. She was incapable of hiding anything, and yet he wasn't sure why he still found that spark of defiance in her eyes…somewhat endearing.

"You visited me while I slept," Ada said, once again earning his attention. She slid off the edge of the balcony and watched him more suspiciously. "Under the guise of the All-Father."

He watched her knowingly. "I sense another accusation coming."

"You didn't let me live because of the _inconvenience_ it would cause you," she said. "You did it because I helped your mother—"

"You helped her to a state hovering between life and death, a cursed existence," Loki snapped. He stood, hands gathering behind his back as he slowly paced around her. Ada didn't let him get too near before she moved away from him, though there wasn't far she could go. Just then, he stood closer to the only exit than she did.

Loki noticed the glassy hue to her eyes, and nearly sighed at how quickly such a girl fell to tears.

"Save your crocodile tears. You don't care if she lives or dies, so long as you get the reward of _her knowledge_. If she ever wakes—"

He caught the hand that nearly met his face. _Ah, left-handed, is she?_

Loki smirked in the face of her fierce glower, even as a tear ran down the side of her cheek. She and all the others could pretend to know him, but it wasn't their right to try and pry into his mind and in his heart. It was his to play with their expectations, and all they thought to be true. Let him be the monster they chose to see.

"You don't fool me, Loki," Ada said. Her voice shook, though she grabbed at his wrist, below the hand that held her. The spell thrummed at her touch, but surprisingly, it wasn't painful. The surprise showed on Ada's face as well, but she continued with what she meant to say.

"I know the truth," she asserted. "For all your venom, Lady Frigga is still your mother in your heart. Perhaps one day you'll kill me, but it won't be while she lives."

Inwardly, Loki frowned at the bold accuracy of her intuition. His initial instinct wasn't to retaliate with violence though. It was to silence her lips, by whatever means he felt necessary. Instead, he feigned amusement.

But in his memory, not so long ago, he'd held her much like this. She'd been even more naïve then, and at the same time, more perceptive than he'd initially given her credit for. She'd refused his advances.

" _If it's just for the moment, then why bother at all?"_ she'd said. And it had been enough to give him pause, because never had a woman rejected him quite like that before.

Now, however, was something slightly different.

"Maybe, more simply, I just enjoy playing with your life," he offered. "Perhaps I'm bored. Perhaps, you've earned my attention once more…just for the moment."

Ada's eyes grew wide with recognition, then anger again. A memory of a night on the garden bridge.

"Ada, where have you gone now?"

Both their heads turned towards the palace. Someone was approaching, soon by the sound of it. Loki allowed her to slip away from him, and he withdrew his magic to shield only himself. One he recognized as Mariel's apprentice arrived, and Ada retrieved the book she'd left before she followed after. When she turned to look back over her shoulder, he gave into the temptation to drop his illusion and watch her lips thin with irritation.

He smirked, chuckling a little when she purposefully looked the other way.

_This will be fun._

* * *

That evening, Vira forced her to accompany her and Marus to watch _The Tragedy of Loki of Asgard_ again at the theater, since she'd missed most of it the first time. The summer had grown hot, and Ada used one of Vira's decorative fans to keep the sweat off her neck. All the while she stared at where the "King" sat, up on the platform they'd built for him to lounge and dine on food and wine. He laughed at all the comedic bits and grew solemn during the more dramatic ones, particularly at his own death scene.

Ada wanted to gag. It was an insufferable display, and she wished she could get out of her seat and point the finger at him in the middle of the crowd and say, _It's him! The one you're all crying insipid tears over, he's alive and well and probably dropped the real Odin into a black hole._

"Are you all right?" Marus leaned over to whisper in her ear, close enough that it set her blushing involuntarily. She leaned away from him enough to smile apologetically.

"Yes, I'm fine."

But the days wore on.

Loki soon found ways to play with his newfound toy, appearing as Odin to the Halls of Healing in order to "browse" their collection of scrolls and books on healing. He made it seem as if he were the melancholy husband, trying to find a way to help his wife, but Ada knew what Loki was doing.

He sat in the corner of the room while Ada and Eris were either studying or making new medicines and draughts, forcing her to try and ignore him. He often cleared his throat, or asked a question, or made some other noise that served to ruin her concentration and test her resolve of going along with their deal.

Well, it wasn't so much a deal, as it was a coercion.

If she took her meals alone in the garden, he made mice, or roaches, or some other vermin appear out of her cups before she drank. She once took a bite from a sandwich and found the slimy head of a fish inside.

Her scream had even sent the ravens into flight.

_Damn that vile man_ , she'd thought furiously.

But when the guards came, the fish had already disappeared from her food. Ada could only apologize, pretending she had tripped on her own dress and nearly fell into a nearby fountain.

The tricks were immature and maddening, but each time she tried to confront him, she would feel rather than see the grazing touches on the back of her hand, her shoulder, her cheek. It was nearly burning to her skin and set her heart racing.

Once she felt a lone finger slide purposefully along her collarbone, heading towards her neck, coiling a searing tendril of pleasure through her belly and a shiver up her spine. Ada had lashed out so quickly that she'd actually felt it connect with his hand, his chuckle echoing somewhere behind her.

Flushing hotly and furious, if no one was nearby, she would call out his name in aggravation and catch only a glimpse of him as he slipped into shadow.

She even started seeing the shape of his smile in her dreams.

* * *

One afternoon, Ada became too distracted by her predicament to focus on her work in the Halls of Healing.

She attempted to at least write the name of the traitor in her notes. But the pressure near her heart became so overwhelming that she was forced to drop the pen. Just as she couldn't speak his name, she also couldn't write it—not any of his titles or epithets, or anything that even implied Prince Loki of Asgard. Her Vow wouldn't let her.

By the time she stopped trying, she had a fierce headache. She wondered, with no small amount of irritation, if Loki was suffering the same. It would be the only consolation of this whole ordeal if he was, but she had no way of knowing. The man was about as open and honest as a two-headed snake.

Though it amused her to imagine him small enough to crush with her heel.

"Do you mean to set that page ablaze?" Eris remarked. Her eyes darted pointedly to the journal Ada held.

"O-Oh…no, I was just thinking," Ada shook her head sheepishly. Eris only raised a brow. The corner of her lips lifted.

"How _are_ your studies going then?" she asked dryly. "Found a way to revive the dead as well?"

Ada shot her an exasperated glare. She grew tired of being mocked, and more weary of the age-old animosity that had existed between them from the beginning. For so long, she had held her tongue out of civility. It wouldn't do well for them to be at each other's throats if they were to work together within the same environment, but today was enough.

"While you're mocking me, do let me know when you've found a way to pry your mouth from Mariel's arse," she returned.

Eris looked at her sharply. "That's rich, considering you're the one she dotes on."

"I'm no longer Mariel's apprentice, so tell me why you hate me, Eris. Let's stop this pretense," Ada said. She was nearly at her wit's end, and she had no more energy for games. "Are we not working toward the same goal? Are we not here to help others?"

Eris set down the stack of books she held on the table beside them. She faced Ada with a true glare, not tempered by false politeness.

"You were gifted this opportunity out of pity for your ailing mother. I studied my _entire life_ for the chance to hold a worthy position in the palace. To fulfill my calling in Halls of Healing, instead of some paltry clinic," she said tersely. "Yet you're the one who earned Mariel's favor, even that of the _Queen_. And for what? Showing sympathy for her monstrous Jotun son?"

Ada's hand flew before she knew what she was doing. Her palm met Eris's cheek, with a force that snapped the other woman's face sharply to the left. Ada's shock and remorse came immediately afterwards. She held up her hand that didn't sting and covered her mouth.

"Eris, I…I'm sorry."

Eris had to steady herself with a hand on the table, but her dark eyes were furious.

"Say what you will about me," Ada said, hating how her voice shook, "but _don't_ talk about my mother, and do not disrespect our Queen."

"Stop being so self-righteous. Are you sure it isn't that murdering traitor you defend?" Eris retorted coldly.

Ada refused to hear any more. She left the Halls before she did something more she would regret. As much as she didn't want to allow it, Eris's accusations followed her every step.

Was she really defending that arrogant, lying man, even after everything he was doing to her?

Her mind unwillingly flashed back to how he'd appeared after being defeated on Midgard, gaunt and malnourished. Fandral had told her of Loki's battle with Thor, when the Bifrost was destroyed. That Loki had fallen from the edge of Asgard, into an abyss that knew no end. Clearly he had survived it, but how?

_What_ had he survived between that point, and the moment Ada examined him?

As much as she was loath to admit it, perhaps there _was_ some part of her that still felt sorry for him. And for Thor and Frigga, who both still loved him as family.

At this point, she couldn't be sure about King Odin's feelings. Yes, he had let Loki live, but an eternal punishment wasn't exactly life, either.

_A cursed existence, hovering between life and death._

Her eyes burned, but she ignored it by blinking rapidly against the sensation.

Ada didn't realize there was someone in her path until she collided with a firm, armored chest. Strong hands gripped her arms to steady her, but as soon as she was able to raise her head, she gasped and nearly lost her footing all over again.

King Odin stared back at her, his face perfectly neutral as a slight smile played on his face. Two attendants stood behind him, glaring at her impropriety for not immediately bowing low before the King.

"I-I…" Ada was so flustered by the sight of Loki in disguise, she almost forgot she was supposed to participate in his rouse.

"Are you all right, child?" King "Odin" asked. His eyes sharpened slightly.

"W-What?" she breathed. She touched a hand to her face, feeling wetness on her cheeks. Had she actually been crying?

"Oh, y-yes. Please excuse me, your Majesty!"

Ada ran from him before he could see her crumble entirely. If there was one thing she _wouldn't_ do again, it would be letting him see her lose herself.

She hurried through the palace halls, though she didn't have a clue where she wanted to get to. Her path took her past the kitchens, beyond the library, the armory. She found a secluded corner and rested her back against it. Looking down at her shaking hands, she tried in vain to breathe deep and evenly.

Again, her vision blurred with the threat of tears. The pressure in her chest made her stomach roll with nausea, increasing the well of anxiety growing inside her.

_Am I what they say?_ she wondered.

Eris thought her selfish and self-righteous. Fandral thought her innocent, and probably naïve. Vira thought her ungrateful. Considering where her actions had led, perhaps they were right after all.

The feeling in her chest grew worse. Just as she thought the ground might rise to meet her, a spark of color appeared between her hands. She gasped, but held still when it appeared again in a coil of green, rising up and turning to lavender.

She took a step back from it in wonder, and the coil of magic slowly reached out. A tendril of it branched off, flicking a strand of her hair behind her ear. The rest of it took shape into something much larger, blooming into a beautiful flower of so many petals and brilliant color.

Ada gradually smiled. She reached out, and her fingers nearly brushed the illusion before it all faded away like smoke. She let her hand fall back to her side, turning expectantly to Loki when he finally appeared.

"Come to toy with me again?" she asked. She wiped at her eyes to make sure they were dry.

"Oh, relax," Loki said. His smile was more reserved. "Come with me a moment."

She peered back at him with suspicion. "Why? What do you want now?"

Loki only held his hands behind his back, and he gestured for her to follow.

She hesitated, watching him turn on his heal. With a defeated sigh, she decided to humor him. Sometimes, going along with his schemes was easier than demanding answers. It wasn't likely he would oblige her with one anyway.

He led her through another hall, up a collection of gilded staircases, until they reached some kind of observatory. Only she didn't think this reached the top of the palace. When she looked up, she saw a black sky dotted with innumerable stars. Her mouth fell open in awe.

"What is this?" she said softly.

"Something interesting," Loki said. He watched her with a knowing smirk. He waved a hand across that sky, and golden bands passed over them, expanding their view into the entirety of the Nine Realms. The tree of Yggdrasil.

"For all you've studied, have you ever even seen it?" he asked.

Her breath fell in a small gasp as she stared above them with impossibly large eyes. It was more beautiful than she could have imagined.

"That's what it all looks like?" she asked. "Truly?"

"From this distance, yes," Loki said. His blue eyes shone with the light of the great tree. Soon they met hers. Ada didn't understand why her chest tightened, but not with the uncomfortable weight of their spell.

_Why did you bring me here?_ she thought. She wanted to ask, but…

She didn't want to think all this was his shocking attempt at distracting her from crying, without actually having to ask her what had upset her. Ada almost saw that very question when he looked at her. It implied that he cared one way or the other if she was upset.

It also suggested that there was a reason why his tall, lean body was suddenly so close (too close) to hers, why she heard her own heartbeat pounding in her ears.

"So this is your definition of interesting," Ada said. Her voice wasn't as strong as she meant it, but she managed to say something—anything to break the strange tension. Loki's smile quirked.

"Did it live up to your expectations?" he asked. She swallowed, despite the fact that her mouth felt incredibly dry. Her eyes followed his lips, to the sharpness of his jaw and cheekbones, dark brows, and impossibly black hair. She remembered when it barely reached the nape of his neck. Now it fell in slight waves past his shoulders.

His fingers, long and slender, touched the side of her face. Ada inhaled unsteadily through her nose as his thumb brushed her lower lip.

Her eyes returned to his, but she couldn't tell what he was thinking. _Is this part of his game? Will he continue to play with me until he grows bored again?_

Better yet, would she allow it?

And if he grew tired of this game, what would happen to her then? But despite all of these logical, _important_ thoughts, she was close enough to feel the heat of his body, clouding her judgment and calling to something warm pulsing deep inside her.

That voice in her mind that screamed for her to stop and think…

Well, it was silenced the moment Ada leaned up and pressed her lips to his.


	6. The Art of Magic

She was avoiding him.

The thought pleased him more than irritated him. In the unlikely event that Loki were to be honest, even with himself, he could admit that Lady Ada was an amusing distraction.

Not that he needed one. The responsibilities of running the kingdom weren't lost on him, especially with the Festival of Winter Nights soon approaching.

_Is it the end of summer's harvest already?_ he mused, just as he finally found her. Not that he had been actively looking. His mind had only wandered while he moved about the palace in search of his next task. But there she was.

Ada sat in an empty nook outside the library, all the way down at the end of the hall. She was below a large window, which let the golden light of noon streak behind her as she studied from a book of minor healing spells. Her mouth occasionally moved with the words she was reading, again with her neck craned at a very odd angle. It couldn't possibly be comfortable.

"You have a strange way of reading," he said, allowing his guise to fall just after enclosing their corner in a cloaking barrier.

The pen flew out of her hand as she jolted. Then she glared up at him, albeit slightly nervously. He smirked.

"Don't you have anything better to do?" she snapped. Loki snatched the book from her hands, inspecting her paltry notes in the margins. Was she still wading in this outdated tome from the dark ages?

"If you're still in need of this, then Frigga's time was wasted on you," he commented idly. She attempted to snatch the book from his hands, but he turned smoothly, holding it out of reach.

"I no longer have the books she gave me. Besides, I just…" Ada hesitated, toying with a loose curl of her hair. She looked away from him. "I promised myself I would wait until she could teach me properly."

Loki sighed. He understood the sentiment, but it was misplaced in his view. "That's an unbelievably stupid waste of time."

"Excuse me?" She turned back to him with a hot glare.

He left her there, striding down the hall as if he'd grown bored with their conversation. His grin only grew once he heard her hastening footsteps following behind him. It really was all too easy to spark her temper.

He disguised himself as a soldier until they reached his old chambers. The fire lamps lit upon his entrance, and he heard Ada's steps hitch as she likely realized where she'd followed him. Before she could retreat, Loki called a few scrolls and a book into his hands. With a subtle glance at her over his shoulder, he laid it all out at his table.

Ada approached slowly, suspicion in her eyes. Her fingers grazed over the cover of the book, and he could tell she recognized it. He anticipated her question as she asked it.

"Why—"

"I gathered them from Frigga's entertaining parlor and have kept them safe ever since," he said. "She gave you permission to use them, so continue, if you wish."

Loki was curious himself. The question that continued to plague his mind whenever he happened to glance too closely at those stormy eyes of hers.

The naïve healer who sought out the monster in his cell. She'd flirted with deeper knowledge—that _powerful_ spell she'd been able to perform, yet couldn't hope to fully understand.

_What exactly did Frigga see in this little girl?_

Loki watched Ada's suspicion of him grow. But she couldn't help looking down at the scrolls and tomes he'd provided. Her expression turned forlorn as her fingers brushed the spine of a book. "Even if I did, it's not as if I can teach myself."

"Surely you _can_ read."

"Yes, but," she hesitated, then opened to a page in the book with its corner folded down. "…All right, look here! What does this even mean?"

Loki peered over her shoulder and his hand joined near hers on the page. Sensing her tense up at his proximity, he smirked, but didn't care to move. His eyes glimpsed the blush rising in her cheeks.

"I'd thought you past this rudimentary level. It's a preservation spell. A temporary protective charm, not unlike the cloaking spell that hides you from sight and sound."

"How so?" she asked, despite how she pointedly edged away from him.

Though he let out a long-suffering sigh, he proceeded to explain the spell with enough detail, but not too much that she would lose focus. He even prodded her into giving him a demonstration, to show that she'd actually understood him.

"Go on," he prodded more sternly. "Show me I didn't just waste my breath."

Ada shot him a fiery glare. But then she actually concentrated on his instructions. Soon, the magic materialized in her hands with a swell of azure blue. It wasn't as refined as his own green energy, but he could sense its precision, both purposeful and even somewhat soothing.

It was the magic of a healer, not an illusionist like himself. Yet she had some minor aptitude for illusion spells. _Vaguely interesting_ , he thought. Perhaps it was why Frigga took notice of her in the first place.

He took the book she had been studying earlier and dismissed it back to where it belonged. She would no longer be needing it.

"Wait, how did you do that?" Ada asked. She looked genuinely curious, and envious.

"I replaced it on the shelves in the Halls of Healing," Loki replied. His hands moved behind his back. To his surprise, she stood from his desk and stepped toward him, brows furrowed with determination.

"Show me, please," she requested. He only chuckled.

"Suddenly you're eager to learn," he remarked. "Why should I?"

"If you're so bored with being king, then I'll entertain you," Ada said with a bold raise of her chin. A confidence, Loki suspected, she didn't entirely possess. He decided to test her, closing the distance between them with an indulgent leer. To her credit, she held her ground as he lessened the space between their bodies, and he bent his head just enough to feel her nervous breath on his chin.

"You'll entertain me, will you?" His tone was dry, but he let his voice deepen with a slight edge. "After your behavior in the observatory, I believe I'm seeing a pattern."

With her flushed face accompanying a more embarrassed glare, Loki's lips curved further.

"I must admit, I was taken aback by your forcefulness," he added.

Ada's eyes finally flashed, and she pushed at his chest hard, actually managing to push him back a step or two.

"Don't make it sound worse than it was," she said tersely. "It was _one_ kiss, _one_ time, out of a momentary lapse of sanity. And it'll never happen again."

"Of course," he agreed, sarcasm heavy in his voice. She let out a sharp sigh and crossed her arms.

"Will you teach me or not, Loki. If we are to be bound by this accursed spell, and if you refuse to let me be, then we may as well use one another to our advantage."

"And what, pray tell, would I be getting out of this arrangement?" Loki asked dryly.

"The pleasure of my company," Ada deadpanned. By this point, her expression was flat with her exasperation. He smiled.

"Then as your temporary tutor, and your king, I reserve the right to receive the pleasure of your company whenever I see fit to teach you. And I do mean _whenever_ ," he said. Ada's mouth fell open with surprise. It was such a delightful expression, he was tempted to sample again from those lips. If she was so adamant against it, then it begged the question: _why_ had she kissed him? It had clearly been a maiden's kiss, clumsy and more or less chaste.

While she'd been upset moments before, he found it hard to believe that the small kindness he'd shown her had been enough to lessen her hate for him—to lessen his monstrosity in her eyes. And yet…

Even with that small puzzle, Loki maintained his self-control. The truth was, for the sake of preserving his disguise, he hadn't allowed himself to indulge his body's needs. Not even while under the guise of another.

Certainly not as he'd used to before his fall from grace, anyway. _Not yet._

But probably because of that absence, the attractive spark of angry fire in her eyes was just enough to entice him.

"Not on your life," she gritted out.

"Fine. Then I suppose you'll be teaching yourself a lifetime's worth of mastery in the arts of magic," Loki countered.

If she grew any angrier, he suspected steam would escape from her ears. Even so, he spotted the moment she finally relented, her shoulders relaxing as she frowned.

"All right, fine. _Just_ magic," she warned. Loki shot her a more charming, if devilish smile. He reached out and let a tendril of her long, copper hair fall loosely between his fingers. Her eyes widened.

"Why, do you need instruction in _other_ areas as well?" he raised a knowing brow. Ada tried in vain to slap his hand away.

"Oh, shut up!"

* * *

He summoned her again. It was in the middle of an experiment she, Mariel and Eris were conducting with the Soul Forge, to see if it could detect abnormalities in a corpse, as well as the living.

Once she washed the feel and smell of death from her hands and arms, Ada followed the directions in the message (that the King required a drought for a headache). After a couple of weeks, he never ran out of excuses to pull her away from her work, some more discreetly than others.

But in that time, it made her realize that the pressure in her chest that she often woke with in the morning would soon be gone once she saw him in the day. The spell coiled around her wrist would pulse for a moment, and then the feeling would dissipate, as if it were satisfied by their proximity.

Was that the price the Vow of Silence demanded?

Without meaning to, her hand raised to her lips. Sometimes she still remembered the feeling of his, soft but demanding; some of his fingers curling knots into her hair while the others pressed hard into the curve of her waist. That hand had seared heat into her skin as it drifted to the small of her back, and lower still. Until finally she'd stopped it all by prying herself away from him, shocked at what she'd done.

Sighing, Ada shook her head in annoyance at her own stupid actions. That day had been a mistake, and she was furious with herself for letting her emotional state get the best of her. For seeking comfort from the one person she shouldn't try to get it from.

She also shouldn't have been so hasty to further her dealings with Loki. Learning magic from a _trickster_ only spelled disaster for her. Not to mention, surely this would mark her a traitor if he were finally to ever be exposed. Even if she was only _trying_ to use him as much as he was using her. Loath as she was to admit it, he still had power over her.

_But not for long_ , she determined, as she entered his chambers. There had to be something in Lady Frigga's spells and teachings that could help her break the spell.

"I see you enjoy history as much as I do," Ada said. She let her hand ghost over the spines of so many worn books on his shelves. His bedroom was very much a reflection of his personality—clean, dark wood furniture, warm lamplight and green accents.

"History is strategy. The more you know about the world around you, the better you can understand the way others think, and learn to anticipate them," Loki replied. He poured a cup of tea, which she was surprised to note smelled of spice and rose. Despite how he was currently talking about using his knowledge to manipulate others, maybe he was slightly more sentimental than he'd led her to believe. His green eyes were flat, even less readable than usual.

Perhaps he had visited his mother while she still slept.

Guilt gnawed at her, though Ada let that thought lie. But…maybe she could get him to open up about whatever melancholy he was feeling if she were to offer up some of her own. Reluctant as she was to reveal even more of herself, it was the only strategy she could think of.

"My mother filled my head with old stories and fables." She sat down across from him at the table, accepting the cup of tea he offered with a slight smile. "But my imagination was never as strong as what I saw in the observatory…did Frigga teach you, as a child?"

Loki never answered her question. Instead, he stood suddenly, as if he was just remembering something.

"Speaking of history," he said.

He pulled a large, heavy book from the shelf and dropped it on the table in front of her. It was a chronicle of Aesir sorcery, bound by a spell lock that he released for her. She shot him a dull look, to which he looked down on her with a curiously knowing smile.

"Start reading."

* * *

He was doing this to spite her, Ada was sure of it. Likely he'd seen through her meager attempt to pick at his thoughts.

She had barely gotten through the first chapters by the time she was forced to call an end to her day. But she brought the heavy book all the way home with her and continued where she left off.

In fairness, some parts were rather interesting. She didn't know that the goddess Eir had taught Frigga's mother, and in turn Frigga to master the arts of healing magic. Ada wondered where she then learned her gifts for illusions and other such sorcery.

Fandral returned home and went off to sleep in his old room at some point, but Ada was still engrossed in the book. By morning, he found her at the dining table with her head laying on the open pages.

"Hey, what're you doing?" He touched her head gently, but when she still didn't wake, he prodded at her shoulder until she came to, waking groggily.

"Please, get some real rest," he shook his head. "Surely they don't need you at the palace for one day."

"No, you're right. It is my day of rest," Ada rubbed at her eyes. She smiled tiredly at him. It had been some time since she'd seen her brother. His smile was suddenly warmer and slightly guilty as he looked down on her.

"Why don't we go into town later," he offered. Ada perked up at the suggestion, but then she remembered the book under her arms as well as Loki's parting words from the day before.

" _Make sure to finish it by the time we meet again. I'll be sure to test your knowledge."_

By the sly smile he'd worn, she knew she'd rather not return unprepared.

"Oh, no it's fine," she shook her head. "I really must finish this."

Fandral frowned. "Now I won't have it. You while your ways at the palace with tedious work, coming home only to eat and sleep. Vira says she hasn't seen you in weeks—"

"Since when do you call on Vira of your own volition?" Ada cut in. Her smirk widened at Fandral's sudden elusive expression. He'd never hesitated to boast with any of his other conquests, but his tight lip now made her think he was hiding something. Something she wasn't yet sure how she felt about, considering her brother's well-earned reputation.

"Never mind that," he said. "You'd better go rest. I'll be back in just a couple of hours."

Ada did take his advice, leaving the book on the table to find her bed. She'd only meant to lay down for a few minutes. But true to her brother's word, he woke her again about two hours later. Meanwhile, she'd slept so deeply that she didn't even dream.

Fandral tapped on her cheek, rather incessantly until Ada reluctantly groaned and cracked one eye open.

He grinned in the face of her annoyed glare. "All right then, Ada. Today, you're going to enjoy yourself."

After Fandral managed to tease her into rising and freshening up, they went into town together. They walked through the busy markets and ate from delicious food stalls. Ada was surprised by how many people seemed to know Fandral quite well beyond being a renowned Asgardian warrior.

They would have given him pints of ale for free, if he'd let them. Yet he always insisted on tossing them more gold coin than necessary. Then of course, women made their flirtatious advances. But he politely declined (if with a bit of suave cheek) and sent them on their way.

All the while, Ada felt a bit guilty. She couldn't remember the last time they had spent a meal together, let alone an entire day. She had her head filled with magic, of Loki's tricks and figuring out the meaning behind his seemingly cavalier touches. Now more so than ever, she needed to find a way to break the spell that bound them. She needed to tell Fandral that Loki was alive.

When Fandral asked her how her days had been, and what she'd done, Ada couldn't even tell her own brother the truth. Instead, they made idle small talk and spoke about superficial things, and it all felt more forced than anything.

He must have felt the need to fill that void. He began offering to buy her trinkets and scarves and things she had no need for.

"Really, where is this coming from?" she finally asked when he offered to buy her a necklace that was far too grand for what she wore every day in the palace. Ada thought it was too much even for a bigger occasion, at least for her tastes.

"Ah, but you never let me spoil you," her brother smiled ruefully. His hand came up to touch her hair affectionately. But she saw something like regret play on his features. "It's only…I don't see you as often as I would like. And one day you'll be some man's wife."

"If you don't see me enough, it's because you don't try very hard. Me being married one day has nothing to do with it," she pointed out.

"You know, far be it from me to force you, but I wish you would marry," he told her.

"Why? Should a man seeking my hand actually desire me, I doubt he would accept a woman who spends more time in the Halls of Healing than taking care of his home and bed," she said.

While she knew she couldn't boast of much experience with men, she was still a woman, and she did crave companionship of some kind. But not at the cost of who she was.

_Perhaps I'm just not suited for marriage after all_ , she mused. With how often the thought had been increasingly plaguing her mind, Ada had to wonder why it still made her heart ache.

"You haven't seen the dangers of the world as I have," Fandral argued. "I would see you married for your happiness, as well as your protection…after what happened with the dark elves, I'd rather you not be alone the next time I have to leave you."

Ada understood his concern. It didn't mean she would marry for the sake of having a protector, but her guilt grew regardless. They were all each other had, and yet she couldn't even be honest with him about the danger that still lurked in the palace with a devilish smile.

So she allowed her brother to buy her a ring that she wore on her right hand. It was made from two crossed circlets of pale gold, and at the center was a small, deep blue stone. The color of their father's house.

On their way back, Ada looked up at Fandral with a growing smile.

"You know, brother," she began, "I don't believe I've ever seen you turn away a willing woman."

"I'm spending my day with you. Would you rather I had chased after them?" he asked in amusement.

Ada hummed. "I only mean, is there something more behind that gleam in your eyes whenever I speak of Vira? She's my dearest friend, Fandral. I'll be cross if you're up to your usual antics."

He shot her a disbelieving glance.

"What gleam? Is all this studying healing magic sharpening your cunning?" There was nothing but good humor in his tone, but Ada stared at him. Was he insinuating that she was becoming more like…

"Do you equate magic with trickery?" she asked, a bit more guarded.

Her brother's smile fell as he noticed the shift in her mood. She frowned at him, but he raised a dismissive hand.

"That's not what I said. I'd appreciate it if you didn't twist my words," Fandral said. His brows furrowed in annoyance. "You know, you're starting to remind me of someone."

He stared ahead now, just as their home came into view. But Ada quieted, simmering with anger that she so often kept locked inside. She knew he had reason to be wary of magic, as he had reason enough to hate Loki. But she never thought he would judge _her_ by those merits.

And yet, here she was, learning the ways of magic from _the_ God of Mischief. She supposed it was only inevitable that his unsavory personality would rub off on her, if that were so. However, Fandral's words did sting.

Predictably, he didn't stay the night at home with her. It left Ada alone with her thoughts, and a rather large tome that she needed to finish by tomorrow.

Sighing, she sat down to pick up where she left off. She looked down at the pages left open, and suddenly a particular paragraph stood out from the rest.

_The Original Vow is a versatile charm, if difficult to wield. It predates…_

She scanned quickly through the rest, until she came to a line that sent her heart racing. And a dull familiar ache grew in her chest.

_Releasing a Vow of Silence is yet more complex. As it must be cast by, and will only bind the willing participants, the spell may only be made null and void by_ _**all** _ _casters involved. Without both willing parties, the spell will retain its power. The Vow cannot be undone by one caster alone._

Ada laid her head on the book, sighing in frustration. _He knew, damn him._

She recalled Loki's smile when he gave her the book that afternoon, and while it had been subtle, she knew by now what it meant. He'd been altogether too smug.

_The Vow cannot be undone by one caster alone._

He meant to taunt her with the knowledge that she couldn't break the spell, not without _**him**_. And she'd agreed to being bound by it without even fully knowing what she was doing. Clearly.

Despair filled her entire being as she felt the burn of angry tears in her eyes. But she pressed the heels of her hands there to stop it.

_No_ , she thought fiercely. She would not give in to his taunts, or the way he mocked her attraction to him with sinful touches and glimmers of kindness. _Lies, all of it_.

Ada kept reading. She took thorough notes of the more fascinating pieces of history and spells, some she could possibly even use to her advantage. There was one that she actually found very interesting.

_Memory spells._


	7. The Festival of Winter Nights

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: So I just wanted to say thanks for everyone who's commented and is following this story! I think we're about halfway through, and this is probably the longest chapter so far. Just a warning, this one's rated M, though it's on the light side I think. Hope you enjoy!

"Ah, memory spells. A diverse topic," Loki nodded. His perverse, almost delighted smile told Ada that it was a favorite area of his, and likely one he'd explored in depth.

"How so?" she asked.

Loki's hands gathered behind his back as he began to pace his chambers. Ada sat at the table with the book, though she kept a wary eye on him. Surprisingly, during their lessons he teased her less. Perhaps because he could contemplate topics he clearly enjoyed, as well as hear himself talk as he explained them.

But he wouldn't be the God of Mischief if he didn't find different ways to elicit what he wanted her to accomplish in each lesson. Most of them were _unconventional_ , to say the least, and usually maddening in some way or another.

"Well, the mind is a tricky thing," he said. "Spells of memory can take on many forms. Their effects are often unpredictable at best, making them all the more dangerous in either a master or a novice's hand. A mild forgetting charm can make you forget what you had for breakfast that morning, or it can erase entirely the years of your childhood."

Ada's eyes widened. Logically it made sense, but it was still a terrifying thought. Loki smiled at her reaction.

"No doubt it would take a skilled sorcerer to accomplish such a feat, but you get the idea," he shrugged. "Spells that influence the mind take an inordinate amount of focus."

"I can imagine why. Someone's mind is a private place," Ada frowned. The idea of exerting her own will over someone else's gave her pause.

Loki noticed this with growing amusement. He rounded behind her where she sat, bending low enough to speak just beside her ear.

"Quite, though I doubt you realize the true scope of that truth. Your mind is the only place where you may feel truly safe. Unconsciously and consciously, you protect your weaknesses, your joy and your fear, your self-doubt, and of course, your most sinful, unspeakable fantasies."

Ada leaned away from him. Her sharp glare met his familiar smirk.

"I'm sure you have a few of those," she remarked.

Loki straightened, even as his smirk grew. Was that a hint of curiosity hidden in her sarcasm? Her eyes met his boldly, and it amused him further to consider how her courage to try and match his antics had developed in such a short time.

To those who knew her, Lady Ada was a quiet, contemplative girl. Respectful and diligent, innocent without being altogether naive. But he had seen her anger and her spite, determination and cunning—in ways even her own dearest loved ones would never know, or appreciate.

"Wouldn't you like to know." Loki allowed a hint of dark flirtation in his voice. He watched intently as her attempt to ignore him resulted in a mild blush.

"Though I believe it would be wiser to save memory spells for when you are more confident in your basics," he added. "Such precision is currently beyond you."

Her scowl found him again. "Excuse me?"

"Not that I foresee you getting over your distaste for utilizing your power on another. In any way that isn't healing, at least." He sighed. "I do wonder if I waste my time."

"I didn't decide to further my abilities in magic in order to harm others," she snapped back. She stood from the table with an irritated huff, and Loki moved closer to meet her.

"What if they intend to harm _you_? Will you not protect yourself?" he argued. All the while, his steps brought him toward her as she tensely held her ground. "If someone threatens the one you love, will you not utilize each and every skill in your possession to protect what is yours? If the opportunity presents itself to peer inside their mind and extract the information you seek, will you not do it if it saves their life. Tell me, are you really a healer, or will you allow them to suffer for your _tender_ sensibilities?"

His words ended in a sly, derisive jeer. He fully expected the fierce slap that came, of which he didn't bother to avoid. Perhaps part of him welcomed it.

The blow met his cheek with enough force to turn his head away from her. He imagined Ada's hand stung just as well as his skin, and it was worth it to look upon her wild expression. Her chest rose and fell as she breathed heavily. The gray in her eyes was a tempest, both irate and conflicted.

Loki knew he'd managed to persuade her thoughts, enough to cause that doubt, even if she didn't admit it.

Sometimes, the strongest confessions were silent.

"Is that what earned your interest in magic?" she asked.

Loki paused. He didn't expect that to be her next question, but he saw little harm in humoring it for the moment. He could see she was increasingly trying to find the motivations behind the things he said and did. It was her only strategy if she truly wanted to be free of him, as he was sure she knew by now that she couldn't break their Vow on her own.

Her silent determination when they'd met that morning was testament enough of her resolve. And this was a new game in and of itself, to see what she could do with that knowledge, even as he fed her skills. He would allow her a false sense of opportunity to best him, then watch that resolve crumble in the end, wholly and utterly when she finally succumbed to her fate.

His control.

But by then, he would have no further use for her.

"No," he eventually replied. Loki sat on the edge of his bed and crossed his long legs as he did so. The corner of his mouth rose as her gaze followed that subtle movement, and she resumed her seat across from him at the table.

"It has always been a part of me," he said.

"Always? Even as a child?" Ada questioned. Loki nodded his agreement.

"It seems to be a way of expression for you," she noted.

Loki raised a single dark brow. She made him sound like some kind of painter. _Expression_ wasn't how people normally described his use of magic, even before he was marked as a traitor. _Insidious_ , underhanded and _cowardly_. That was the Asgardian public's typical view of magic, or at least the magic of a master illusionist such as himself. Even Frigga, for all she was beloved by the people, was still whispered from the shadows for her reputation as a Vanaheim sorceress.

Ada brought him out his thoughts when he realized her attention was still on him, though she was studying him as much as he was contemplating her odd response. He couldn't quite read the expression on her face.

"When did you develop an interest in healing magic?" Loki asked in return.

Ada blinked in surprise, not expecting him to ask her something equally as personal. But she supposed it was fair, considering she'd started it.

"At first, I only wanted to please my mother," she said. "When she fell ill, and…nothing could be done, I wanted to learn more."

He surprised her again with a slightly narrowed look. It made his expression seem softer (again, slightly). Ada was surprised he didn't know of her and Fandral's past, but it was just as likely that it never came up in conversation.

Loki asked, "Did they determine the cause of her illness?"

"No," she said. "But my father lost his life in the long war against Jotunheim. From then on, she was never the same."

Ada's lips pursed at the memory of her mother's dark eyes. She could barely remember a time when they'd been full of life or joy, or anything beyond that careful blankness to hide what had probably been a deepest pain. Iselda hadn't trusted either of her children enough to share it, instead putting on an unconvincing front of happiness that didn't last.

Ada frowned, shaking her head from the image. "I couldn't understand that kind of love."

"Nor would you want it, it seems," Loki remarked. His lips quirked at something of a smile, but just then she didn't have the energy to try and hide her true emotions from him. Not that it ever worked, anyway.

"I will not be so fully possessed in such a way," she told him. Her eyes met his without pretense. And if she had a double meaning in her words, it was for him to decide. "Such a thing is an illness far worse than any curse of magic, and I resolved long ago that I would never be prey to it."

Ada watched Loki's smirk as it spread across his face, yet it was his piercing gaze that interested her the most. It had never left her, and suddenly she wondered exactly how he saw her. Was she but a child to him, yet another to have fallen into his well-worn trap, or did he take her at all seriously?

"On that point," he said, "We are entirely in agreement."

* * *

"I can tell when you're troubled," Ada told her friend. Vira sat in front of her at a vanity while Ada wove delicate braids in her shining dark hair. It wasn't as dark a shade as that of the trickster she couldn't escape, apparently even outside of the palace, if her thoughts were any indication. Ada nearly shook her head.

Instead, she focused on the young woman who sat with her lips pursed with a quieter irritation than Ada was used to.

Vira was never one to simmer in silence. But after completing preparations in the palace for the Festival of Winter Nights, Mariel had given Ada the day to prepare. Tonight was the first feast of the week's celebrations for the new year. The long summer and harvest had ended, and now the newfound chill in the air marked that winter would soon begin.

She and Vira prepared together for the first feast every year, and Ada was determined that this one wouldn't be any different.

Vira clearly thought otherwise.

"You would know why if you ever bothered to see me once in a while, or even to write me, for gods' sake," she said.

And there went her silence.

Ada frowned with guilt. But was she really to blame for everything she must deal with at the palace, her brother, and now Vira's anger as well?

"I _am_ sorry, but I have many responsibilities—"

"I understand that. You think I don't?" Vira asked hotly.

At once, Ada set down the comb in her hand with a heavy _slap_ upon the vanity. It startled them both.

"I _know_ you don't," Ada snapped, "because you actually, truly, cannot imagine how I return home every night so physically and mentally exhausted that I sometimes skip meals entirely to sleep without even dreaming. Just darkness and _blessed_ silence until I wake again."

Between juggling her demanding work in the Halls of Healing with Loki and his lessons (which were draining for an entirely different reason), Ada used what little energy she had leftover to try and find a way to gain an advantage over the God of Mischief. Only then could she attempt to better her situation, and perhaps even break her Vow.

"I am engaged," Vira said. Her expression twisted bitterly as Ada's morphed into shock.

"Father finally decided to take the choice out of my hands," she added.

It didn't take Ada long to realize that the suitor was not one Vira was happy with. In fact, Ada had a heavy suspicion of who she _would_ have chosen, if given the chance.

Ada took a deep breath. "Does my brother know?"

Vira was quiet for a moment. Their eyes met in the vanity mirror, and after a short while, Vira finally relented. Her gaze lowered.

"I don't know," she confessed. "Nor do I believe he would care."

"I'm not so sure of that," Ada said. Vira perked up slightly, but she didn't gain any hope.

"Even if he did, he wouldn't act on it."

"I will speak to him. I promise, Vy," Ada determined. Vira didn't speak. It seemed like she didn't want to care one way or another, but Ada knew the truth. As they dressed and readied themselves, Ada knew what she would do later that night when she inevitably found Fandral at the drink with the other warriors.

"Will you let Marus escort you tonight? Only the gods know why he still has interest in you, with how little encouragement you offer him," Vira noted slyly.

Ada sighed. "Your brother is a good man, I just…"

Vira watched her then, with something strangely perceptive in her reserved smile.

"I would say it's your work that keeps your attentions, but is there someone else, Ada? Another man?"

Ada frowned, a nervous bubble of energy rising through her stomach and into her chest. She didn't want to think about the reason why (or Vira's question), because it was ridiculous.

"Why would you ask that?" she said dismissively. She turned to the vanity and adjusted the pale gold necklace she wore. It was one of her mother's, settled with a blue stone in the pendant. The gold matched her brother's ring that sat on the finger on her right hand. She hadn't taken it off since that day, and by now she felt used to its weight there.

"Because, there's something different about you," Vira said. "I don't know…maybe in the way you carry yourself."

Ada shot her a glance. "Meaning?"

"You're more confident, sure of yourself," Vira replied. Her smile grew. "It's a good change."

Ada didn't really know what to say to that, so she said nothing. But it stayed in the back of her mind.

She stood a little straighter and actually looked at herself in the mirror, truly, for the first time that afternoon. She didn't know if she saw confidence, but perhaps with the bit of dark burgundy rouge on her lips, the deep blue of her dress, and the finer jewelry, she certainly looked more mature.

* * *

That night, she did allow Marus to escort her to the feast. He was kind enough to gift her with a rose. He entwined the stem with the golden clip in her hair.

"You are beautiful tonight, Lady Ada," he smiled. His brown eyes were gentle, and she somewhat returned his smile with a shy blush.

"Would you like to try dancing again?" he teased, offering her his arm. "I think our first go of it was pleasant enough, but I dare say we have room enough for improvement."

Ada obliged in taking his arm, and even settled her hand over his. Thinking about what Vira had told her, being _sure of herself_ , she felt bold enough to give him a flirtatious look.

Well, flirtatious for her, anyway.

"Well then, I do believe practice makes perfect," she said.

He chuckled and led her onto the dance floor in the Grand Hall of the palace. When they danced, it was familiar enough for Ada to get the hang of it better than she had the first time. She even began to enjoy herself as he swept her into exaggerated turns and dips, just to make her laugh.

Even if Ada wasn't looking to fall in love, perhaps Marus was a choice she could actually consider. He seemed kind, and he knew that her passion was in the Halls of Healing.

"Marus, I heard of your promotion to lieutenant. Are you happy with your new position?" she asked.

There was a transition to a slower song, and it both allowed them to catch their breath and give them a chance to actually get to know one another. Their families had always been very close, and so they had essentially grown up together. But it was one thing to play as children, and another entirely to speak familiarly as adults. To entertain what they were now.

Marus's smile was proud without being overly boastful. "Yes, though it is a lot of work. We patrol the palace and the kingdom at nearly all hours of the day. But I will have my own command whenever the next battle arises."

Ada nodded.

"Forgive me if I hope that isn't anytime soon, but I'm glad you enjoy your position."

"Yes, I would expect nothing less from a healer," Marus said, with some wry humor. "Have you been incredibly busy as we have with the festival's preparations?"

"You don't know? The entire palace staff comes together for months in advance." Ada offered him a slightly teasing look. "How long have you been posted in the palace again?"

He tossed her a somewhat sheepish smile. "Is this why I haven't been able to call on you since our last evening together?"

Ada tried not to seem as embarrassed as she felt. She reminded herself (again) that she had no reason to feel guilty for her position. So she raised her head and met his stare.

"Likely so, yes," she nodded. Marus looked mildly surprised, probably because she had admitted it so directly. His expression softened into a small smile.

"It's important to you, isn't it?" he gathered.

She offered a reserved smile in return. "It is."

"It's not often a woman of noble standing has ambition," he noted. Ada shook her head. That wasn't the point. She wasn't bold because she was afforded an opportunity.

"It's more rare that a woman is given a choice, regardless of her station," she said.

After a moment, Marus inclined his head with a sigh. "I see the truth in that."

Ada blinked in confusion.

"You do?"

"Yes," he agreed. "You've always been different, Ada. Even when we were children, you were more solemn than other girls. You carried yourself with the maturity of someone twice your age."

Ada didn't know if she liked being described as _solemn_. But it painted a vivid picture of how he had seen her, and still saw her.

"I watched you take care of your mother when her illness took a turn," Marus continued. "I had no doubt you'd make for an incredible healer."

His praise warmed her, as well as made her shy away from his eyes when she blushed. She just hadn't known that Marus had noticed her that way. When they were young, he'd been more interested in horseback riding and falling into trouble with the other boys his age, rather than being seen with his sister's friends.

They continued talking for a while about more trivial things, until Marus suggested they pause from the dance for some refreshment. Ada agreed wholeheartedly.

As they sat at one of the long tables for food and wine. Marus soon fell into a drinking contest with his fellow warriors in his troop, and Ada could admit she lost interest in following it.

She couldn't help but glance up at the royal dais, where the guise of King Odin sat upon the throne. It really was a seamless illusion. He scanned the reveling crown of nobility, occasionally spoke to his attendants and any nobles who bowed low and greeted him. She had to wonder if Loki was actually sitting there, or if it was his double.

Then she could've rolled her eyes at herself. Tonight was maybe the only night where she didn't have to give a single thought about that green-eyed charlatan.

So she wouldn't. She would instead focus on something actually worth thinking about.

"Marus, I made a promise that I would greet my brother tonight," Ada leaned over to his ear. He had been busy drinking entire pints of ale in seconds with the royal guard (those who were off-duty anyway). But he still graciously turned to hear her when she spoke to him.

"Of course, my lady. I'll escort you," he said, only slurring a bit.

"No, please. Don't trouble yourself." She shook her head. "Stay with your men. I will be back soon."

Marus's smile gleamed with something of a boyish charm. "I'll be sure to find you if you don't."

With an amused smile of her own, Ada parted from him and set out sights for Fandral. It shouldn't be difficult to find him if he was still eating and drinking with the Warriors Three. If not…then it may be decidedly more difficult to find whatever shadowy corridor or closet he'd snuck off to, and with who. More importantly, she'd rather not see such a thing. She hated to think of what Vira would feel if she heard of it.

Even now, her friend was sitting at the far end of a table with her betrothed. He wasn't unattractive by any means, blonde and strong looking. But Vira's bored face said it all.

Ada sighed. So preoccupied was she in her thoughts that she didn't realize the foot she'd stepped on until it was too late. Her foot caught on a man's boot, nearly sending her tumbling with a gasp. But then she felt a strong hand reach out impossibly fast to catch her arm, and her hand splayed on a firm chest.

"Are you all right, my lady?"

Ada stared up into the face of an unfamiliar man, square-jawed and sporting a neatly trimmed beard. She blinked in confusion at the intensity of his eyes, despite his polite and apologetic smile.

"Oh-oh yes. I'm fine," she stammered. "I'm sorry for stepping on you."

"It's no trouble at all, the fault was mine," he said. She nodded and attempted to move on her way, but his hand slid along her arm to grasp her hand.

"Would you allow me to repay you?" he requested. "Join me for a dance."

Ada nearly sighed, though she did blush a little. "I do apologize. I'm actually looking for someone at the moment."

"Ah, I am sorry. You're spoken for, I take it?" the man guessed, his smile falling a bit. There was something about his dark eyes that made her pause.

"Uh…no," she admitted. Not technically, at least. _Not yet._

His brows lifted with optimism.

"Ah. Well, I can only say it would honor me greatly if you spent just one dance with me. It has been a time since I've beheld…someone quite like you," he said.

His voice had the strange quality of being charming while not sickeningly effusive. Ada could almost believe he genuinely wanted the chance to dance with her. It wasn't something she was used to, and for a moment she wasn't sure how she should respond…

But, she did suppose that finding Fandral could wait, if just for a few minutes.

"I…all right—"

Before she could finish her reply, his smile had momentarily made her heart stutter as he swept her into the fray of the dance floor. His movements as he led her were sure and purposeful, controlled in every step. She didn't have to look down at her feet once, even when the music grew faster, and then slowed.

She stared hard at his eyes, which seemed lighter than before. Perhaps it was the brighter lights above them, but then he looked down at her. The focus of his gaze was wholly on her, and it captured her breath. Then it hit her with a rush of irritation and amusement all at once.

A subtle smile played on her lips. "You enjoy yourself too much."

"Excuse me?" he asked. Ada wasn't fazed. For the sake of the damned spell, she couldn't speak his name. But she knew it was him. She stared at him, still smiling flatly.

Then his own deepened into a smirk. With a squeeze of her hand, his guise fell and Loki's green eyes stared back at her. She sucked in a breath, her own eyes widening in alarm.

"Are you crazy?" she whispered fiercely.

"Calm down. Only you can see through this illusion," he returned smoothly.

_**This**_ _illusion?_ she thought. With a glance toward the throne, she supposed she shouldn't have been surprised. "King Odin" still sat, the guise as lifelike as ever.

"Though I appreciate your rather vocal concern," Loki's sly voice earned back her attention. She released a sigh, and they continued to dance to the lively song the symphony was playing. He was a skilled dancer, though Ada supposed she should expect it from a prince. Particularly one such as him. He twirled her fast, releasing her with a whip just as quickly as he pulled her back in, quite literally stealing her breath away.

"Do you mean for me to break my ankle?" she managed in a tense whisper. Loki looked down on her with a wry smile.

"You think too much, Lady Ada." He held her close, and they merely swayed to the tempo of the music for a moment, allowing her to catch her breath. "Were you to fall, what reflection would that be on my own abilities?"

She huffed in response. But it was true, she had never come close to falling once.

In his arms, she felt secure. What scared her more was that she also felt safe, even if her heart continued to beat exceptionally fast.

The way he looked at her, as if only she were in the room, made her want to know what exactly he was thinking. She didn't want to be foolish and believe he might actually desire her.

_But why?_ Was it because she alone knew his secret?

…Then again, she wasn't so sure she wanted to know the answer after all.

"With all your antics, I wonder if you've simply grown used to me, since I am the only one who _truly_ knows you," Ada punctuated this with a knowingly raised brow.

"Perhaps it's you who has come to look forward to my _antics_ ," Loki suggested. He spun her again when the music struck a particularly dramatic note, but her foot caught on the hem of her dress along the way. He smoothly corrected, pivoting on his heel in order to collect her even before her feet touched the ground. Then they continued on as if she'd never faltered.

Ada was begrudgingly impressed.

"Your dancing is exemplary." His voice was dry in her ear, dripping with sarcasm. She turned her head to face him with a glare. As a result, their lips were just inches apart as they swayed at a more sedate pace.

The music shifted again, as if to accommodate them. Ada lowered her gaze.

Suddenly she was all too aware of his hand holding hers tightly, while the other was respectable, yet firm along her lower back. Her fingers twitched on his shoulder, which was clothed in darker blue leathers and fabric that draped off of him quite excellently. She realized then that his colors matched her, blue and pale gold.

Ada had never seen Loki in blue. While green suited him more, for obvious reasons, blue was a nice shade on him as well. She supposed.

"Fandral is the showboat, not me," Ada said eventually. She looked out at the sea of court nobility, warriors, and servants. She couldn't see her brother among them, but she did notice Marus. A guilt pang hit her full force when she recognized he was likely looking for her, scouring the same sea she was. Yet if he found her, she would be in the arms of another man.

That small panic had her ready to pull away from Loki and end whatever this was, here and now. But before she could, he spoke low in her ear.

"You are as plain as you allow yourself to be, Lady Ada," he said. "Forget what others think of you, and what you think you should be."

Ada looked up at him searchingly. He was no longer smiling that serpent's smile, but looking down at her more seriously.

"The opinions of others may not matter to you, but they matter to me," she frowned at him. "The respect of the people in my life _matters_ to me."

"Why base your self-worth on the opinions of lesser fools?" he challenged.

Somehow, Ada finally heard a ring of truth there. With every insult that must have been thrown his way as the lesser Prince of Asgard— _traitor_ , _snake_ , _coward_ … _monster_ —he had pushed their ridicule aside. Ada remembered the whispers well, and even she had feared him then, though not because she didn't know him.

Her gaze wandered in attempt to avoid his. But unfortunately, it landed on Marus, who had finally found her across the room. She grew nervous with his keen attention, despite her added guilt.

"Ah, your would-be suitor has found his love in the arms of another," Loki mocked.

"I'm not his love," Ada denied, perhaps more vehemently than she intended. Her eyes widened in the face of his smirk.

He meant for this. She realized it now, with no small amount of frustration. Whatever small, good thing she found without him in her life, he was obviously determined to snuff it out.

"He's not as honorable as his gleaming armor would have you believe," Loki said. She attempted to really step away from him then, but he used the movement to spin her back towards him, leading her back into the dance with grace. Her gaze narrowing, she stared up at him in irritation.

"All men are conquerors in their own minds, ruled mostly by base and carnal needs," he said, bowing his head until his lips were just inches from hers. It was almost a whisper on her lips that would look to Marus like a rather intimate kiss.

"All men, my lord?" Ada said pointedly. "Though I'll wager you've suffered in your conquests as of late."

She tried to take back her hand and pushed hard at his chest, allowing her the space she needed to retreat from the dance floor. She no longer had a mind for anything else but ridding herself of the curse that was Loki. The spell thrummed a bit painfully around the center of her wrist, but she ignored it. Just as she ignored the crushing feeling of disappointment, and tears burning in her eyes.

As she hurried through the palace, Ada concealed herself with a quickly executed spell. She then took a staircase the servants used. It gave her a more straightforward path to the royal wing, where Loki's old chambers were. As his room was meant to be empty, there were no guards posted outside the doors. She stepped inside and was greeted by the lamps lighting immediately.

Ada then did something she had never done before. She rifled through every drawer, peeked inside every corner and nook. She even entered the private bathroom (blushing though she was) and could only find evidence of soaps and towels he might have washed with.

In hindsight, she shouldn't have expected to find anything of real value. But for even a small clue into who he was and how she could best him, Ada was ready to tear her hair at the roots.

It wasn't until she started lifting under the mattress that she heard someone clearing their throat.

She whipped around with a spell on her fingertips, but Loki encased her hand in his, and negated her magical energy with his own. He let his power zing up her arm and down her spine, making her shiver involuntarily.

"Did you really think you would find anything?" Loki's brow rose. His smirk was still maddening, but he refused to release her hand.

"Did the All-Father retire early?" she countered. "Not very professional for a king."

"It isn't polite to spy on others," he said, ignoring her completely. He stepped forward and Ada retreated a step, until the back of her legs met his bed.

"What did you gain by tricking me like that?" Ada asked. She swallowed past the lump of emotion in her throat, but tears welled within her eyes against her will. "Do you delight in my pain that much?"

Loki seemed to pause. She couldn't read what it was in his eyes as his smile faded slightly. Her tears fell against her will, spilling down her cheeks.

"I delight in my own amusement," he answered, his smile quirking up again. "Besides, I find it hard to believe that blonde fool's affections are so important to you."

Ada's expression hardened into a frown. She could only assume he meant Marus.

"From your own lips, you admitted you do not love him," Loki mocked. "But do _forgive me_ , he must indeed be a worthy man. You appeared ever so entertained as he drank himself into a stupor beside you."

Ada glared up at him, tears continuing to fall from the corner of her eyes. "I wasn't speaking of Marus."

Loki's gaze widened then, just a fraction.

Ada came to realize something as Loki watched her. He'd specifically been watching her and Marus throughout the night. He had waited for her to leave the table to disguise himself and make his approach. Had he only seen an opportunity for mischief by making her appear like a brazen tease in front of Marus, or was there more to it than that?

"What do you see when you look at me?" Ada asked. "I want to know. Despite every warning that tells me this is wrong, I want to know more about you."

"Do I hear correctly?" he asked derisively. "You say you've come here to my chambers in order to feed your naive maiden's fantasy?"

His steps forward drew him into her personal space, coming to stand over her with his height and his nearness.

"No. You've come to investigate the traitor you once took pity on inside his cell," Loki surmised. His hand nearly cradled her cheek, yet it stopped just shy of touching her skin. "But you've realized that he is what they say: the vile, monstrous wretch."

"Is that what you believe yourself to be?" Ada smiled as she turned his words against him. "Do you then base your self-worth on the opinions of others?"

Loki tensed, his expression falling flat and unreadable. Then he let his hand fall away from her face with a chuckle. _Clever girl_.

He resisted the urge to tuck an errant coil of her hair back into place. Much of it had fallen out of the golden clip, and he doubted she realized that fool's paltry flower was long gone.

"You are a shameless, silver-tongued bastard with a penchant for cruelty," Ada said, "But I don't believe you're a monster."

"Oh really?" Loki asked. He stepped away from her, smirking with satisfaction when she let out a somewhat shaky breath. She blushed like a maiden still, though he supposed he couldn't begrudge her that. He joined his hands behind his back and moved to pace the room. He was curious to see where this would go, and what she would say next.

"I grew up watching you and my brother fight together with the other warriors," she said. "I still see glimmers of the prince I knew."

Ada saw the love he still had for his mother, and even the mercy he had shown Ada by sparing her life. While he teased and tormented her daily, he still chose to teach her magic and study from Frigga's books. And she was beginning to think he saw her as more than an idle plaything to amuse his days as King of Asgard.

"Is that all?" he asked. Loki's steps brought him closer to her again, where she still stood next to his bed.

"I haven't figured out the rest just yet," Ada confessed. His sinful smile caused yet another shiver down her spine, this time for an entirely different reason. Her voice has gone quieter as she lost some of her boldness.

He gripped her chin, the smooth pad of his thumb touching her bottom lip as it had the first time they'd been in such proximity.

"How do you mean to figure me out?" Loki asked wryly.

"I haven't decided that either," she breathed. But she knew what it was she felt when he touched her. It's what was missing whenever Marus held her closely or grasped her hand. Vira had asked her if there was another man that had captured her sights, and she'd denied it with her whole heart. But _Valhalla_ help her, Ada had seen Loki's face behind her eyes.

"Are you sure?" Loki's brow rose. "I think you have…you want me to play with you, don't you?"

When his hand left her face to graze down her neck, along her collarbone and over her breast through the fabric of her dress, her breath hitched with a warm feeling that traveled from her belly, and lower still between her legs. Ada couldn't deny it anymore.

She wanted him. Desired him, as she had from that first moment so long ago on the garden bridge. When he claimed she had earned his attentions, he had earned hers as well.

"Tell me, do you want me to touch you?" Loki asked, tilting his head. She nodded minimally, but he tutted at her with a shake of his head. His fingers nearly withdrew from her body, even as he leaned towards her hear.

"I'm afraid that's not good enough. I want to hear you say it, my dear."

With a frustrated sound, Ada grabbed his wrist, stopping his hand from fully leaving her.

" _I want you to!_ " she blurted in annoyance. " _Damn it_. I want you to, Loki."

"My, my, what a temper," Loki smirked. "And such a wanton look in a maiden's eyes."

His hand moved out of her grip and ventured down the curve of her hip, teasing with its brushing touch. But what would it make her, if Ada allowed him to continue? Was she also a traitor for selfishly doing what she wanted? She heard his words resounding in hear head, like a score of music that refused to stop playing.

_Forget what others think of you, and what you think you should be._

He took her lips with bruising force, his hands gripping her hips and pressing into her lower back to pull her close. Her hands disappeared into his mane of dark hair as she returned his kiss as well as she could. Her body responded to his instinctively, arching against him at the first, hot wet contact of his tongue invading her mouth.

His kisses were demanding, as was the rest of him as she felt the back of her knees hit the mattress behind her. His arm slid around her like a steel band and guided her backwards, until the soft bed of dark green sheets was underneath her and the length of Loki's body was over her. A knee parted between her legs, sliding against one of her thighs and made her tremble slightly. Ada felt his smirk against her lips, until they drifted away from her mouth and burned a trail down her neck, stopping there to tease her anew.

She tried to get a grip on the leather over his chest, already frustrated that she couldn't feel him as she wanted to. Meanwhile, one of his hands was already kneading her breast as his leg rested in the juncture between her thighs.

"This isn't quite fair," she panted. Loki then sucked hard on her neck, rolling her already hard nipple under his thumb. She gasped and shuddered. Her nails clenched into his scalp involuntarily, earning a dark groan from him.

"Fair?" he chuckled. "When did I ever promise that?"

"You haven't promised anything yet," she countered. He scoffed in amusement.

" _Yet_? You are a demanding girl."

Though in a blink, his magic had washed over him and replaced the leather and metal of his blue armor with much lighter clothing. Loki could've done the same for her, but he wanted to relish both of their anticipation of peeling back her admittedly beautiful gown, one area at a time. He started with a shoulder, baring a lovely, full breast to his gaze so he could more properly lavish his attentions. All the while his fingers slid down her hip and gripped the fabric of her dress, bunching it up to pool above her knees.

Her own clever hands were already roaming beneath his tunic, finding the planes of his chest and abdomen. Ada's inexperienced touch was tentative at first. Yet growing bolder as she explored him, and the grooves between lean, toned muscle.

Loki allowed her the time to do so as he teased her, kissing, sucking, biting, and soothing with his tongue wherever he so desired of her exposed flesh. Her little gasps and moans were equally arousing as her hips unconsciously grinded into his to find friction, and relief. He decided to help her, just a little, as his fingers slid along the inside of her thigh.

Ada then tensed, once she realized where Loki was headed. He only looked up from her chest when she tensely gripped both of his arms. Her eyes were wide with slight anxiety, but not because she didn't want him.

"Tell me," Loki prodded. Was she having second thoughts after all?

"It's not that…it's only," she took in deep breaths, looking away from him.

"You're nervous," he supplied. She nodded stiffly, unable to trust her voice. Loki bowed his head near her ear as a smile of amusement played on his lips.

"Then close your eyes," he said. "I will not rush."

Breathing deeply, she did as he said and closed her eyes to steady her heart. "I…I trust you."

With her eyes closed, Ada couldn't see how Loki paused. If he could have seen his own face, he would have watched his expression slowly change from shock, to one of confusion…and finally, of something bordering on affection as he stared down at her.

She was waiting patiently for him now, his little ball of fire. Even as her chest rose and fell quickly, the necklace she wore falling down the valley of her breasts, her hair spilled around her in a tangled mess of dark, russet waves. Loki was captured then, if just for a moment by her simple beauty.

Ada let go of the sheets she had been clutching and finally relaxed. She didn't know why she trusted him, or why she admitted it aloud, but with _this_ she did.

She then felt his lips plying hers, rather gently at first. Ada sighed, surrendering to his kiss. Her head felt light and buzzing with warmth and the sensations he was causing her before. And dimly she noticed, as his lips moved over hers, that his fingers stroked gently again along the inside of her thigh. They were gradually drawing closer to the place she both feared and wanted him to reach.

She was grateful that he had sensed her panic before and had immediately stopped. He'd let her collect herself before he gave her exactly what she needed to be able to continue without completely losing her nerve.

Ada knew that once this happened, it could never be undone. Once she was no longer pure, any suitor afterwards would not take kindly to her in their bed upon marriage, and very likely would scorn her. But if she was truly a woman not suited to love or marriage, then for once, she would do as she pleased and not what she was bid.

Suddenly she squeaked as his fingers slid between her folds and touched her center, finding the source of her pleasure abruptly, and with ease. She clenched around his hand instinctively as that pleasure began with a warm throb in her lower belly.

"Again, you were thinking too much," Loki's voice drawled in her ear. Sighing with a laugh, Ada let her fingers comb through his hair. It grounded her as he stroked her slowly, deliberately, trying to find her most sensitive spots. But as his lips resumed their onslaught along the other side of her neck, her grip on him tightened when he increased the pressure and the tempo of his hands. A third finger joined to slip inside her, and she groaned and convulsed a bit against him at the new sensation. The burning in her lower belly grew, until she was sure she would burst at the feeling.

"L-Loki," she choked. He shushed her with a smirk pressed against her neck.

"Patience," he said.

Soon enough, her release came and she shuddered at the overwhelming feeling, clenching again tightly around his hand that never stopped in its movements. She breathed heavily, and he dropped a nipping kiss on the hollow of her throat, earning a surprised hum from her. His smile was arrogant as ever.

"Pleased with yourself, are you?" she panted.

"Oh, my dear lady, that was merely a warmup," he laughed.

Her heart fluttered at the idea that he was only rekindling his clearly natural abilities. And he hadn't truly stopped playing with her. Already she felt the pressure building up in her center from his continued ministrations. Suddenly she wanted to wipe that smirk from his face for once.

"Do they not call you Silvertongue?" she managed to tease. But not without difficulty, as he was bringing her closer to release for the second time, even quicker than the first. His brows rose with mild surprise at her bold cheek, but his grin was decidedly more wicked.

"Of that you will learn." Again, he chuckled low in her ear. "Endeavor to be patient, woman."

Ada felt his length already straining against her thigh. Even as she gulped for breath, she grew curious enough (and bold enough) to reach out and touch him tentatively.

His hand stopped moving against her as he hissed at the grazing contact, his green eyes finding hers. She smiled, earning an amused grin in return. Loki wiped a tendril of sweat from her temple.

"Is my hand the first to touch you so intimately?" he asked, though no doubt he knew the answer. He just wanted her to say it aloud.

Biting her lip, she nodded.

"Besides my own," she answered. She sat up, despite feeling like a trembling puddle, and she pushed at his chest until their positions were reversed. Loki allowed it with a huff, and his ever-deepening smirk. He was all too curious, wondering if she would have the courage for what she meant to do.

Ada's dress hung from one shoulder, her hair falling around her in wild russet waves and tangles. Her untamed beauty was everything Loki had imagined she would be, and more for the depths of desire in her eyes. She seemed equally determined to please him, perhaps to prove herself capable, despite her inexperience.

But before her hand touched him more fully, there was a question in those eyes, dark as slate. She leaned down and kissed the side of his neck, stopping close to his ear as he had done to her.

"Will you show me how?" she asked. "Please."

It was the _please_ that was his undoing. He took her wrist to his lips, marking her there hard enough to elicit a lovely gasp.

"Darling, your lesson is only just begun."


	8. Boiling Point

Ada was pulled out of sleep by something strange. She felt cool air on her back, and an object grazing along her skin, soft and light between her shoulder blades, down the length of her spine. She didn't flinch until it brushed the side of her bare breast and sensitive ribs.

Still half-asleep, her hand shot out to fend off whatever it was disturbing her sleep. A deep chuckle sounded above her.

"Do you plan to sleep the entire morning in my bed?"

Sighing, Ada cracked an eye open. Loki's familiar smirk greeted her (of course), as well as a long black feather twirling between his fingers. His talented, talented fingers.

Gradually the events of last night returned to Ada in a rush, making her flush hotly in light of his widening expression. Lowering her eyes, she submerged her arm and torso further underneath his sheets. With a groan, she stretched while resting on her stomach. Her limbs felt heavy and useless, but she didn't feel as sore as she expected to.

"I hope you washed that," she muttered, eyeing the feather. "Birds carry diseases."

"Are you implying the All-Father's ravens are diseased?" Loki drawled. Suddenly he yanked the sheets away from her naked body and Ada cried out in protest, moving to cover herself. He was faster, turning her to face him as he knelt on the bed and effectively trapped her between his thighs.

Ada instinctively crossed her arms over her chest as she stared up at him, smiling shyly despite her blush. Loki was already dressed for the day in dark pants and a green, long-sleeved tunic. His long fingers wrapped around one of her wrists, slowly pulling it away from her chest to bare her for his view. Mischief swirled in his amused green eyes as he brushed her cheek with the feather, then further teased her skin lower. Down her neck, between the valley of her breasts, and down to her navel.

With a sigh as her body fairly trembled in anticipation, she felt enough courage to uncover herself and reached out to him. Her hands tentatively met his knees and slid up along his thighs. She noted with satisfaction that his clothing was still light enough for her to feel him through.

"More bold today, are we?" Loki said slyly at her wandering hands. Before they could wander too far, he grasped her wrists and pinned them onto the bed. She was fully exposed beneath him while he remained clothed, and though Ada blushed, he could see by her frown that she wasn't all too happy at the arrangement.

Well?" He raised a brow, waiting to see what she would do.

She acknowledged the challenge of his expectant stare with a look of determination in her eyes. Her lips curved into a grin, playful, but growing more sensual the longer she stared at his smirking mouth.

She leaned up, craning her neck far enough to find the only bare part of his chest she could reach. With soft lips, tongue, and tentative hints of teeth, she burned a trail along his collarbone, up to the hollow of his throat. Loki swallowed at the sensation, clearing his throat to cover up a sound of pleasure. Even last night hadn't been enough to quench his admittedly insatiable thirst.

To be fair, he'd had to endure quite the dry spell.

Ada smiled against his skin. But with her body restrained against the bed, she had no choice but to continue her exploration in the other direction. Once she reached the top of his chest, she migrated down to tease him over his clothing. Swirling her tongue around one of his nipples, she managed to elicit an appreciative hum.

Though he wasn't yet as affected as she wanted him to be, Ada got an idea. She began to shift her hips to accommodate the leg resting between both of hers, rubbing her already wet center along the top of his thigh. It certainly earned his attention, especially when her own thigh brushed more insistently along his length, slow and teasing.

Loki felt a twinge of desire stirring low, but it wasn't fast enough for his liking.

He provoked her intentionally.

"I'm growing rather bored."

Ada's eyes narrowed predictably with annoyance, breaking her concentration if only for a moment.

"Shut up."

Her tactics were subtle, but effective, rubbing her body against him almost innocently. That made it all the more tantalizing, and Loki was beginning to strain with the effort of remaining still.

Before he could decide on whether he would finally release her hands, Ada rose up as far as she could and latched onto where his neck met his shoulder, sucking _hard_.

Loki's breath hitched. He shuddered against her tongue already soothing over the mark of her teeth in his skin. And that was the moment she was able to free one of her hands, reaching down between them to grip his length more fully through his pants. She stroked fast, but gently.

She was still afraid to hurt him, it seemed, but that was just as well. Loki found her gentle touch rather enjoyable, though he barely admitted that thought, even to himself.

He distracted her with a hard kiss, claiming her lips and invading her mouth, and twining their tongues together the same way hers had travelled his body. She responded with a low moan, her trapped hand clenching and straining against the bed.

When Loki finally regained his wits enough to grab her wandering hand from his arousal, he once again pinned the hand down by her head. He looked down on her satisfied smile with both begrudging amusement and lust.

"Clever girl," he snarked. "You're learning quickly."

"Will you finally let me touch you, for real this time?" She smiled at her victory, even though her face was edged with frustration. Loki pretended to think about it. He did enjoy her growing boldness. But much as last night's memory of that pretty mouth around him was starting to make his arousal strain, almost painfully, he had other plans for this morning.

He pulled her wrists up above her head.

By the time Ada realized what he was doing, her hands were already tied to the headboard with a strip of cloth he must have called to him with magic. Her eyes widened with alarm as she stared up at him.

"Loki—"

"Relax, darling," he shushed her.

She blushed scarlet as she felt his grin along her neck as he kissed a wet path upwards, and teased the shell of her ear with his tongue. Ada shivered and leaned into him as far as she could. His voice was rich and smooth as dark velvet.

"I'll soon hear you scream for me again."

* * *

Ada should have known his penchant for teasing would extend to this too. But she could swear it was more than that. It seemed as if he was studying her body, as well as he had come to learn her mind.

Really, it was like they were learning her together. And she had no idea such frustration could feel this _good_. Eventually though, his own need for release gave them both exactly what they needed.

When Ada was reduced to a slumped pile of exhausted, but sated contentment, Loki withdrew from her body and fell in beside her. He too was breathing heavily, naked and sweating only slightly less than she, if just as sated. He reached up at released her hands at last, letting Ada rest against him while she regained her breath.

He brushed his hand over her wrists, and the red marks that would have later left bruises disappeared with a flash of emerald green. Ada blinked at the effectiveness of the spell, which also took away the shaking in her limbs from being tied and strained for so long.

Not knowing what to do with her hands now that she had them, she folded her arms closely to herself and chanced resting her head on his shoulder. She was still figuring out what kind of intimacy was allowed between them. From the beginning, she knew this had been about desire, not affection, but she did feel closer to him.

"Is that why I'm also not sore?" she asked. Frigga had taught her the spell he'd just used, though she hadn't yet thought to use it herself.

Loki quirked a brow at her.

"You don't remember?" he smirked. "Perhaps not. You were nearly asleep by that point."

"…Ah."

Before today, she would have been scandalized by her own body and the almost overwhelming pleasure she'd felt. Part of her felt confidence as she never had, as if nothing in this world could touch her. But a large part of her felt incredibly guilty, as if she were betraying herself. Her brother, even the All-Father himself. She didn't even know what Loki had done to the King, though her gut feeling was that Loki hadn't killed him. If he was even still on Asgard, Loki had _not_ killed him.

"Here." Loki held a vial in front of her. It was filled with a pale, violet liquid that she looked at suspiciously.

"A contraceptive," he added, noticing her skepticism. She shot him a glance.

"I've made contraceptives. This doesn't look like—"

"This will be effective for longer than your usual brew," Loki said. It was her turn to raise a brow at him, but she drank it all the same, wincing at its bitter taste.

"You should eat something soon," he advised.

"Yes, I'm well aware." She smiled at him dryly. Then she stilled, looking out the window that was letting in bright morning light.

"For gods' sake, what time is it?!"

"Late morning. Though I doubt Mariel would fault you for being so incredibly late," Loki mused as he inspected the raven's feather once more. "The festival has affected a considerable number of the palace staff."

"I'm late. I've never been late!" Ada tore out of his bed, dragging one of his large sheets with her in search of her clothes. She found an earring, her necklace, and one shoe, but not her gown or her underthings.

"Loki, where are my clothes?" she exclaimed. Of course, the man appeared as if he hadn't heard her. The feather twirled around his fingers as he stretched his arms high above his head. He had already conjured up his pants, leaving his chest bare to her gaze. Not that she had time to appreciate it. She glared at him with as much heat as she could muster.

"Please don't ignore me. You know I have to go!"

"Oh, do relax," Loki stood gracefully from the bed. He reached behind him and pulled a simpler dress in a deep shade of green. He leaned close, bending a bit at the waist to press a lingering, sensual kiss along her jaw.

"Because you said _please_ ," his lips whispered against her skin.

He then offered the gift to her with a seemingly innocuous smile. Her heart jolted again, but she ignored it. Ada looked down at the dress, sighing at the color, but she couldn't exactly go out wearing nothing but his sheet. She grabbed it from him and pulled it on hastily.

"Where are my underclothes?" she peered at him suspiciously. He feigned innocence.

"I don't know, darling. Perhaps you'll have to go without."

Ada was affronted at the mere suggestion of it.

"Don't be crass!"

Loki looked even more amused as he neared her again.

"Really. You're reproaching _me_ for lewdness?" he asked. Ada stiffened as his arm snaked around her waist and brought her flush against him. Every part of her chest, hips and thighs were aligned with his so that she could feel his desire already growing against her. She swallowed a gasp in her throat, but her hands found purchase on his chest.

"This former-maiden, who demanded my touch, and my _silver tongue_ upon her." Loki looked down with satisfaction at her fierce blush, which contended with the swell of defiant yearning in her eyes. She may look like a lamb, but he'd seen the depths of where her curiosity and desires had led them, unknowingly enflaming his own.

He lowered his head, just enough to entertain the thought of kissing her. Ada stared up at him, her smile both exasperated and resigned.

"You drive me mad," she confessed. Loki saw something more in her eyes then, though for once, he wasn't entirely sure what it was. He finally gave into the temptation to kiss her, long and slow, until she lost herself to it with a small moan. Loki smiled into her lips, then reluctantly pulled away.

"Your mistress waits, does she not?" he asked.

She gasped and left his embrace, though making sure to collect her jewelry as she went. The only thing she hadn't taken off the night before (or hadn't had taken off her) was a ring on her right hand, simple but well crafted. He'd taken it from her as she slept, and now held up to his view, wondering at its significance.

* * *

_Damn that man_ , she nearly swore aloud as she hurried through the palace halls. And without undergarments. _Incorrigible bastard_.

She knew she should eat something quickly, if that potion was as strong as Loki claimed. But she didn't have the time for it. She was already three hours late to report at the Halls of Healing, for which she'd never been late a day in her life. She could only hope Mariel was as graceful as Loki suggested she would be.

Ada checked herself once more before she went inside the Halls. She'd put her mother's jewelry back on so she wouldn't lose it. With a small gasp, she noticed that her brother's ring was gone. She must have left it in Loki's chambers…

_No matter, I'll get it later_ , she nodded. With a deep, calming breath, she stepped into the Halls of Healing. Both Mariel and Eris were already there, preparing potions that created a bit of a noxious churn in the air. Only Eris glanced up, meeting Ada's eyes with thinly veiled derision before she went back to her task.

Ada sighed, and moved to greet Mariel at her side.

"I apologize profusely for my tardiness, Mistress," she curtsied deeply. "I assure you, it wasn't my intention and it won't happen again."

"Where were you?" Mariel asked without looking up at her. "Entertaining the King's guard, I presume?"

Ada's mouth opened in shock at the accusation, her cheeks burning red. "E-Excuse me?"

"As I heard it, you were off gallivanting with not one, but two soldiers last night," said Mariel. "I can only assume one or both kept you busy."

"Forgive me, Mistress, but you know that's not who I am," Ada tried to stand her ground, even if her words did sting profusely while they, unfortunately, rang somewhat true.

Finally, Mariel set down the vial in her hands and turned to Ada with a look approaching disdain. Ada had seen it once before, looking down at the fallen prince in his cell.

She tapped the table, as was her habit before she gave a more scathing lecture. Ada prepared for the blow, steeling herself.

"To be frank, dear girl, your lack of respect and propriety no longer amazes me," Mariel began. "Don't think I haven't noticed how you disappear for hours each day, Valhalla knows where you go and what you do. Clearly, you think your recent proximity to the Queen has placed you above reproach, but you are gravely mistaken."

Ada lowered her head, biting her lip against both guilt and anger rising inside her. She refused to let any tears fall. Not today, and not in front of this woman that she once had thought of as an extension of her family.

She felt a hand beneath her chin and she raised her head to Mariel's dark, impassive eyes.

"You are but a little girl whose false humility belies her selfish ambitions."

Ada forced herself to school her features, hopefully into something neutral that didn't reveal too much of how tumultuous she felt.

As if she hadn't gotten the rise she'd expected, Mariel let her hand fall away with a dismissive wave.

"Take the day, Ada. Perhaps you'll consider what I say."

Ada hesitated, but in the end she was too shaken to do anything but accept the opportunity to escape. She scrubbed at her eyes, trying and failing to keep her breathing even as she got as far away from the Halls of Healing as she could. The last thing she wanted to do was feel sorry for herself and make it that much more pitiful. But it was all too easy to fall into the familiar path of questioning her own recent actions.

_Was she right?_

It was Loki that had begun distracting her after their Vow had been struck, but it had been Ada's choice to further involve herself by learning magic from him. She'd agreed to his conditions and met him at any time of day, no matter what task she had been doing for her own work.

And the night before, though Loki had derailed her at the festival, it was her choices that had led her into his bed. She could have gone back to Marus and tried to explain to him what he'd seen (though how well would that have gone?). Or if not, she could have found Fandral—

Ada gasped, a hand over her mouth to stifle the sound. _Fandral!_

She hadn't gone to find him after all. She'd promised Vira, who was probably waiting on her even now! Every day brought her friend closer to a marriage that she wanted no part in, with a man she didn't want nor love. All because her brother was too stupid to notice.

Ada covered her face with her hands. She wasn't this person. She didn't forget her responsibilities, and she certainly wasn't used to letting her friends and family down.

How could she have been so selfish?

The pressure in her chest spasmed along with the spell, her Vow. She hadn't felt it in so long that it gave her pause in the middle of the hallway, and she closed her eyes at the force of it. A feeling of nausea then made her stomach roll, pulling at the contents of her empty stomach.

_You are but a little girl whose false humility belies her selfish ambitions._

When she finally heaved, it was mostly liquid that splashed onto the floor by her feet. Likely the contraceptive. She braced on hand on the wall and clutched at her pained stomach, but she couldn't keep herself from gagging, even when there was nothing left.

"Ada," a voice called, and she startled so much that she made herself nearly choke with a violent coughing fit. She felt a hand on her back, and another grasping hers. By the time she looked up, her surroundings were darker, warmer, and even more familiar. Loki looked down at her with what she thought might've been a small measure of concern. If it was, it was hidden well behind that blank look of his.

"Sit," he told her sternly. With her legs shaking as they were, it wasn't hard for her to sink down onto his bed. He disappeared, but soon returned a moment or two later with a glass of water and a hand towel. She took both gratefully.

"Stay here. I will return," he said. Ada nodded and sipped at the water. It was cool and soothing down her throat, and she wiped at her mouth with the dampened towel.

Even though he'd told her to stay put, she couldn't stand the taste in her mouth. She rose to her feet slowly and made her way to the connected bathroom. Everything was so orderly and clean, as if nothing was ever touched, but she managed to find a rinse to wash out her mouth thoroughly. She downed the rest of the water and went back to the bed, just as Loki appeared with a tray in his hands.

"It seems you're hard of hearing, as I thought I told you not to move," he scolded her, but not without some of his usual teasing humor that lightened his stern tone. She smiled weakly, feeling a bit shy towards him. Loki set the tray on his nightstand and revealed some bread, fruit, and a bowl of soup, along with a pitcher of fresh water and yet another potion of violet liquid.

When she peered at it in distaste, he shot her a knowing look.

"You wouldn't have to take it again if you'd only eaten, as I told you," Loki said. There was real reproach there, but Ada didn't have the energy to argue with him, knowing he was right. She lowered her eyes and accepted it with a nod.

"Yes, I know."

That she agreed so easily was cause enough for one to worry. Loki's mouth threatened to frown, but he kept his expression flat.

He had just come out of a meeting with his council about unrest in Muspelheim; apparently King Surtr was rumbling his demon spawn once again. Loki convinced the council that it wasn't yet wise to send their forces to further incite and encourage him, lest his scourge spill onto Alfheim and Vanaheim before he even came close to reaching Asgard.

With that matter settled, he'd dismissed the council and left his illusion of Odin behind in the King's chambers in search of some fresh air. No sooner had he passed the throne room that he'd found Ada, hunched over and clearly pale, perhaps even on the verge of collapse.

It had surprised him how strongly his immediate urge was to collect her, and ensure their privacy so he could…what? Examine her properly?

He was no healer. Since she hadn't been far from the Halls of Healing, he had to assume Mariel ( _that old cow_ ) had not been lenient. He anticipated that this would be the case, but he'd expected the old healer to give her former apprentice a slap on the wrist. A mild reproach, that would've caused Ada some amusing, red-faced embarrassment.

He did not expect this.

Ada's posture now was defensive, making herself smaller with her body hunched on the edge of the bed. She only sipped at the broth and picked at the bread. And her gray eyes were lackluster, her skin still pale with stress and fatigue.

Loki pulled a nearby chair and sat across from her.

"What happened?" he found himself asking, though he did finally frown. He realized that her upset annoyed him, and not just because it was currently inconveniencing him.

"It doesn't matter," she said softly.

"Clearly, it does," he retorted.

Ada ignored his insistence. "Have you seen my ring?"

By his nature, Loki was far more stubborn than her. Rather petulantly though, he decided if she would not tell him, he wouldn't make it seem as if he cared one way or the other if she shared her troubles.

Holding in a sigh, he answered her question with false ignorance.

"What ring?"

"It's gold and plain, with a blue gem," she said, hesitating. "…It's from my brother. If you find it, please return it to me."

_Ah._ The corner of Loki's mouth quirked at a smile as he nodded. He had wondered if it was a gift of some sort, as Ada didn't often wear jewelry. But he remembered seeing that ring the past few weeks. He'd thought it might've been given to her by that blonde dolt—the minor lieutenant in the royal guard that had spun her aimlessly around the dance floor before downing entire kegs of ale with his fellow men. That bored, wandering look on her face had been enough to inspire Loki to mischief.

He'd dawned another effortless illusion and entertained her with a partnership that put all others to shame among the other dancing couples.

And while Loki wasn't sorry at its outcome, with the soldier both publicly spurned and shamed, Loki hadn't expected it to end up _quite_ so well in his favor.

Ada drew him from his thoughts when she set the bowl back on the tray. She reached for the water and the potion next, downing both with some difficulty.

"Tea will settle my stomach more than water," she said.

"I suppose you'd have me fetch it then? What am I, your servant?" he snarked. He allowed his tone and expression to sharpen with derision. Mostly because he was annoyed, and wanted to see her provoked to anger. It amused him.

However, Ada didn't react the way he thought she would. She glanced up at him wearily, but she gifted him a rather impish smile that reminded him of his own.

"Please?" she implored.

A dark lance of desire ran down Loki's spine. _Little minx. Knows what she's doing now, does she?_

Not only was she wearing his colors, but as he remembered, she'd left his chamber without underclothes. She now sat on his bed with her legs crossed beneath her dress, smiling at him all too knowingly. And yet, still somewhat shy.

At second thought, Loki was beginning to think he liked this as much, if not more than her anger. Her eyes glimmered with teasing, the gray in them darkening a little as they read the look in his eyes. A small smile crept on her face as a blush dusted her cheeks.

"Well then," Loki drawled. He stood from his chair smoothly, pausing to hold Ada's chin between his thumb and forefinger. His thumb brushed sensually across her cheek, adding to her blush as she blinked up at him with wide eyes.

"How can I not reward such a polite young lady?" he smirked.

Ada rolled her eyes, but the smile on her lips remained.

Loki finally left her to take up an attendant's guise. He requested the brew made for "his Majesty the King," which had the kitchen servant return with the pot on a new tray in less than a few minutes.

But the time he magically transported himself back to his chambers, Ada laid curled up on his bed. A bit of color had returned to her cheeks, but she still looked worn.

"Thank you for tending to me. I'm not sure why you're doing it, but I'm grateful all the same," she said. Her voice was quiet, soft with tired emotion, but warm all the same.

Loki couldn't bring himself to answer her, because he wasn't sure of it either. He only set the pot down and filled two cups. Ada took it from him with another thanks, and sipped at it carefully. Her fingers wrapped around the cup to gain from its warmth, and she looked up at him thoughtfully.

"Your mother told me she used to make this for you and your brother whenever you were ill or in need of calming," she said.

Loki had to pause, particularly at her pointed use of _your brother_. But he decided to indulge her.

"Yes, well, it was rare that we were ever ill," he replied.

The memories were vivid though. He remembered them all too well. For a time, he'd buried them deep, along with a great many other things that still tried to surface in his dreams and disturb his sleep.

"She would cast illusions upon the walls to amuse us, though Thor grew jealous when I was able to add my own to the mix when he could not," Loki recalled.

Ada was surprised to hear him actually acknowledge Frigga, let alone add more detail to the story. It was also the first time she'd heard him talk about Prince Thor at all, let alone without contempt.

They spoke well into the afternoon, until her throat was raw. But by mealtime, she realized her stomach had settled and her mind was clear. Nor did she feel the constant pressure and ache that lived inside her chest—partly their spell, and partly the effect of Mariel's words on her heart.

This man confused her entirely. On one hand, he was cruel and derisive, dangerous and elusive. On the other, he was perceptive to her feelings and had a roundabout way of being caring, and more generous as a lover than she'd ever anticipated (even if that thought made her face warm again).

She had a hunch. After months of being in close proximity to Loki, from his imprisonment to this volatile game they'd begun, Ada had come to develop an idea of his true nature.

Intuition told her that he felt things deeply. More so than he'd like people to believe. His trust had obviously been marred by his perceived betrayal, and whatever else he had faced between learning the truth about his heritage and the attack on Midgard.

But what was the truth?

When Ada did not have an answer, like every other task she took on, she resolved to find an answer. Piece by piece.

And to this puzzle of a man, she most certainly would.


	9. A Narrowing Edge

Ada gripped the thick, heavy curtain tighter with clenched fists. Right now she was grateful for its strength, because Loki was not helping her _at all_ with staying on her feet. She bit her lip so tightly against a shrill scream of pleasure that she could already taste a fleck of blood on her tongue.

"We're hidden behind a _barrier spell_." Loki's voice managed to sound like a growl and a purr all at once as he spoke close to her ear. "How many times must I _remind_ you?"

His heavy hands gripped her hips even tighter as he filled her core again from behind, fast and hard with her dress wrenched up around her waist. Ada refused to release her moan of pleasure as her legs shook. Didn't want to give him the satisfaction, even though he was hitting angles inside her that had tears stinging her eyes.

Technically they were hidden by a large curtain, creating darkness behind the raised dais in the throne room. There was a wall there, which Loki had first pressed her into before his teasing hands raised the skirt of her dress and made their way, sliding up her thighs. Ada cared not that he'd even performed a spell to conceal them from being overheard.

It was the _principle_ of the matter.

"It's the _middle of the day_ , you bastard," she uttered, panting and still clawing at the drapes as his lips continued ravishing her neck. One of his hands came back up to toy with one of her breasts, slipping underneath the collar of her dress to squeeze and roll a hardened nipple between his fingers. She finally leaned her head back against his chest and moaned.

"Were you that busy?" he snarked, though he was breathing just as heavily. "Found you wandering around here, like a lost child."

His breath was hot along her neck, his voice dark velvet in her ear. "Were you waiting for me, little girl? Waiting for me to claim you?"

Her anger flashing, Ada reached back and grabbed at his head, sinking her fingers into his hair and _pulling_ , hard enough to vent her frustrations.

Loki didn't seem to mind. In fact, he let out a halting groan against her neck, just as he hit a spot deep inside her that made both of them shudder. Ada's legs trembled fiercely. Eventually, the tears did stream down her face. The end of her pleasure was in sight, but she wasn't there just yet.

"I—I can't…" She was about to lose the strength to stand, let alone finish. But he had already sensed this and gripped her hips more firmly. He was nearly there himself. Ada's inner walls were slick and tight around him, and finally starting to tense even more.

"Just a little bit more, darling," he said. He reached around between her thighs and rubbed insistently at her already slick, sensitive nub. His growled whispers filled her ear, raising gooseflesh on her arms and tearing keening sounds from her throat. Finally he managed, in a growl that had him slapping a hand against the wall, " _Come for me, Ada_."

With a few more rough strokes of his length inside her, Ada's release preceded his own by mere moments. His name fell from her lips as she hunched against the wall, holding tightly to his hand that rested securely along her hip. It slid farther around her body as Loki moved to brace the wall with his free arm.

They both caught their breath, until Ada realized she was stroking the hand that now laid heavily on her waist. For her own comfort or for his, she didn't know. But when she squeezed it once to let her go, he pulled out of her and did her the favor of letting her dress fall back down to cover her.

Ada could hear him behind her, fixing his own clothing and zipping up his pants. Unfortunately, he had ripped away her undergarments long ago. Now she didn't even see them nearby. It wouldn't be the first time Loki had stolen them.

Even though she knew no one could see or hear them, they'd still just done _that_ in a very public place. Embarrassment lit her face on fire, even as the remnants of that thrill started to ebb away.

_He really is incorrigible_ , she thought, holding in a sigh.

While she was contemplating how the _Hel_ she was supposed to return to the Halls of Healing in such a state as this, Loki turned her around to face him, leaning her against the wall under his bracing arm. Her chest was still heaving for breath, but she was able to grip the edges of his deep green armor, over his chest.

"I was on my way to the gardens. The herbs I need are closest to the center. _That's_ why I was here," she told him flatly. She turned her head, gesturing to the large doors down the hall that would lead to the garden. Loki rolled his eyes.

"Semantics," he replied. His lips curved into a smirk as she arched a brow, despite the grin threatening to curve her lips upwards.

"Why here, if you were going to call a barrier anyway?" she asked, just as one of his hands trailed down the curve of her waist, and further to knead the flesh of her bottom. Not yet enough to start rocking her into him once more, but enough to cause another flush to her already reddened face.

Loki snorted, his smirk widening. "Why not?"

A fair point. Ada let out an exasperated sigh when a realization hit her. Before his fall from grace, there was likely no corner of the palace left untouched by either princes of Asgard. Thor with bold and boisterous conquest, and Loki with more subtle charm and calculated efforts. Both men were hunters, they just did their hunting _very_ differently.

Loki took her out of her thoughts by leaning closer, his lips hovering over hers. Ada's gaze quickly flicked up to his mouth, before sliding the rest of the way up to the vivid green of his eyes. The desire in them still took her by surprise, even now.

"Why do you insist on distracting me from my work?" she asked.

"Why do you pester me with so many questions?" Loki dryly returned. She smirked.

"How else should I retaliate against that silver tongue of yours?"

He shot her a knowingly devious look, and his gaze fell to stare at her smart mouth.

"You know very well with what."

She blushed at his thinly veiled implication for her mouth. But instead of indulging that suggestion (for now), her hands moved up his chest, along his neck, and finally held his face. Her slender fingers tapped at his cheeks, even as he stared down at her as if he were indulging her touching him so. She had a feeling he liked it, her softer touch, because he hadn't yet pulled away from her.

The idea of any real intimacy between them was dangerous. They _both_ knew this was mere play, part of the game. More importantly, Ada wasn't trying to lose her heart to him, or anyone else for that matter. But she was serious about finding out the truth—the question of who he really was.

_Monster, or man._

She brought him down to her, almost hesitantly brushing her lips with his. She wasn't used to taking charge. But perhaps the man was in a generous mood, waiting to see what she would do, because he allowed her to ply his lips with much slower kisses than they were used to.

Ada pressed at his chest until his back found the wall, thick gold curtains moving from behind to provide a more secure covering around them. That had to be a spell of Loki's doing, and it made her smile against his kiss. His hands rose to hold her hips, aligning them with his own as her tongue ran along the seam of his lips. His own met hers immediately, hot and wet, and his fingers pressed harder into her hips.

She whimpered a bit, in pain at the strength of his grip. Likely she was already bruised from their earlier encounter. Thankfully, Loki moved his hands up to her waist instead. With a sigh, Ada let her fingers run again through his thick hair, brushing the nape of his neck and feeling his light shudder against her.

When she next opened her eyes, she gasped with a jolt and tightened her hold on him. They were no longer in a dark, empty hall, but in Loki's bedroom. Specifically, the private bathroom.

"What—"

Loki smirked down at her. He reached behind her to slip the sleeves of her pale violet dress from her shoulders. She made an indignant sound as the material fell from her, clinging only at the swell of her hips.

"What are you doing?" she asked. She was the only one mostly naked at the moment, and as usual, it didn't feel very fair. _Just once, I'd like our places reversed._

It was a testament to how comfortable she'd become in these moments that she didn't bother to try and cover herself. Though there was a part of her that did feel somewhat exposed, she didn't see the need to be ashamed. Not of her body, at least.

"Do you mean to walk around this palace, still bare and slick with my seed between your legs?" he raised a wicked brow.

And there it was. The urge to hide herself returned full force as Ada was stunned into silence.

She flushed madly. Before she could instinctively retreat within herself, Loki suddenly pulled her towards him by the hips. He looked down at her with a burning gaze that made her skin prickle with a trill of anticipation.

While she was busy focusing on his face, one of his wandering hands distracted her by disappearing under her dress to touch where she ached for him again, even now.

She gripped his arms, letting a satisfied hum pass between her lips as he touched her more fully. Glancing at the large and admittedly inviting tub, she blinked up at him in confusion.

"A-Are you going to turn the water on?"

He gave her a flatly amused look. His fingers continued to swirl and rub exactly where she needed him to. Yet again, she was forced to lean on him to stand even a little bit upright.

"In due time. Do you want me to stop?"

Two of his fingers slid down further and entered her while his thumb continued working at her nub. She hid her face in his shoulder as a hot lance of pleasure ran through her, making her whole body tremble as she rolled her hips instinctively into his fingers. "Don't you dare."

His chuckle echoed in her ears.

"I thought so."

* * *

Ada knew he was using her as entertainment. What she didn't quite know was what why he found _her_ enough to amuse him.

After a wonderfully hot bath, she refused his offer of a clean dress (" _Just undergarments, thank you."_ ). She decided to put her own lavender-colored dress back on, though she did join him for tea.

It didn't feel like a test, or one of his games. It was quiet and comfortable, and damn near pleasant, if Ada weren't so suspicious. She found herself wondering just how he'd done it, becoming King of Asgard.

Had he killed Odin? Stuffed him away somewhere?

She hadn't been able to slip down to the prison where she once visited Loki. She no longer had an excuse to do so, since he was meant to be dead. And there were always guards present.

But what of Thor? Was he truly on Earth with no clue of his brother's claim on the throne, or had Loki found a spell for him too?

"You should ask your question, before the side of my face catches fire."

Loki's voice startled her with a small jump. She finally noticed him sipping his tea, brow raised expectantly, though he continued staring at the wall ahead.

Clearing her throat with some embarrassment, she inhaled a deep, steadying breath through her nose. She tightened her fingers around her teacup and reminded herself of all that she had learned. Every challenge and frustration that had come to pass until now. The weight of their spell on her heart, burning at her wrist.

Ada would have the truth this day.

"Loki," she set the tea aside and sat up in his bed. "What really happened to King Odin?"

His gaze flicked to her impassively. His lazy smirk was immediate, covering up his annoyance seamlessly.

"I'm surprised it's taken you this long to wonder about your _dearly beloved_ King," he remarked, earning her frown. She knew he'd meant to get a rise from her, just as Loki knew his words managed to strike at her guilt.

"What would horrify you more?" Loki set down his cup and shifted onto his feet with practiced grace. "That I killed him in cold blood, or that I've entrapped him in some dark and lonely prison cell, casting him out like the creature he made of me."

He'd done neither, though the truth wasn't that much better by comparison. Still, Ada looked as if she didn't know very well what to believe. She watched him with those honest seeking eyes of hers, but he gave away nothing.

Ada looked pensive. "Whatever you've done, he's your father in every way that counts, Loki. You are not so cruel as this."

Whatever he thought she would say, it didn't quite expect that. He gathered his hands behind his back, as was his habit when he paced. All the while, his mind ran as it usually did to predict and solve each path this conversation might travel.

"Simple girl, you don't know the meaning of cruel," he sneered. "There is _no one_ more ruthless than my predecessor, who slaughtered and destroyed droves in order to secure the gilded halls you see around you."

"I don't believe you," she said stubbornly.

With a spell entirely second-nature to him, he disappeared before her eyes and reappeared directly in front of her.

"Did I not tell you that history is more than just factual knowledge?" he said. "Perhaps you should learn your own. Asgard would not be the empire it is without the misery Odin wrought before the Nine Realms were united. No successful empire exists without bloodshed and death."

"And you aspire to surpass this?" she challenged. What he said sparked her nausea again, but the more he spoke, the more it did make sense. Odin had wielded immeasurable power for thousands of years. It stood to reason that he'd used for more than a couple of wars in the last few centuries. It shamed her that she hadn't thought about how the Nine Realms became united under his rule.

"I hardly need to, do I?" Loki smirked. He vanished again, reappearing at the other side of his chambers to pace once more.

She supposed he was right. In Odin's guise, he'd already made an escaped traitor of Heimdall, sent Lady Sif to Midgard to resolve a dispute, while Hogun remained with his family on Vanaheim. Thor roamed freely without being tethered to the throne, presumably on Earth with Lady Jane and that group of Midgardians she'd heard called Avengers.

Though Ada hadn't seen evidence of his inadequacy as king, the only accomplishments she'd seen him make so far was a gaudy statue and a melodramatic play to commemorate himself. And for what? For betraying his brother, yet again?

_His false kingship is based on lies and deceit at best_.

"Because you haven't earned it," Ada said.

He paused in his pacing. She watched him closely, even as her heart began to race.

"You took the throne, but even if it belonged to you, I think it bores you," she added.

When she heard his chuckle, it was far too close for where he'd been. His hand then grabbed her jaw firmly, if not painfully. He tilted her face up to his that stared down at her with none of the warmth, playfulness, or desire she'd seen just an hour ago. His expression was flat and calculating.

"What does an apprentice healer know of rule and power? What do you know of _me_ to guess my aspirations?" Loki hissed.

"You've not convinced me, _your Highness_." She did her best to stand her ground, though fear trembled in the back of her mind. If she was right, all that he was doing now to intimidate her, was only to make her still fear him. Deep down, after everything, she didn't think he would harm her.

"You raise your voice, but your bark is familiar to me now."

His grip tightened. A warning that she didn't heed.

"Woman—"

"What has made you this way?" she pressed. "If the throne is what you want, why do you take any opportunity to shed your father's guise?"

His hold on her hesitated, if only for a moment. Determination for the truth compelled her to dart her hand out towards him. And with one touch to his forehead, blackness enveloped them both.

In an instant Ada saw black skies above, and the whir of the broken Bifrost falling below after the splintered end of the Rainbow Bridge. Loki hung onto the end of a staff, nearly saved from the dark abyss by Thor who pleaded with him to hold on. Odin stood as their savior on the edge of the bridge, looking down on Loki with emotions seldom seen causing a bright shine in his eyes.

" _No, Loki."_

Ada felt crushing despair, unlike anything she'd ever felt in her years of living. But she realized it wasn't her own.

Loki released the spear as Thor's cries faded above. The abyss swallowed them up, both sight and sound, until time and reason fell out of reckoning.

The rest Ada couldn't completely piece together, as whatever resistance she met with finding those memories were blurred or fragmented. But she felt the echoes of agony—flesh being parted with and reformed, her blood being boiled within her very veins, and far more beyond words or description.

" _I have," he managed through bleeding lips, "…a proposition for your master."_

A hiss in the dark coiled into her consciousness like claws made of ink and grim, gleeful promise.

" _If you fail, Asgardian…there will be no realm…no_ _ **crevice**_ _where he cannot_ _ **find you**_ _."_

Ada's eyes opened with a gasp. She took in a lungful of air as she felt her balance waver. Suddenly she stared up at Loki's pale, manic face and realized she was on her back, on his bed. His body effectively pinned hers down on the mattress.

"I didn't teach you that spell," he idly remarked, as if he didn't currently have his hand wrapped tightly around her throat. He was breathing heavily, hand shaking a little as the unbridled anger at what she'd done washed over him. But more than this, he could barely believe she'd managed to do it all. Part of him might've been begrudgingly impressed, if he weren't so furious.

Loki did know that he was killing her. Her fingers grasped at his hand and her nails scratched and bit into his skin. It was just as desperate as her tearful gray eyes, and that accursed _Vow_ felt heavy in his chest, striking a searing line down his wrist and forearm.

Yet, he could ignore it. Just a few moments longer, and their game would come to an end…but was he ready for it to be over?

Her face was crimson with strain and lack of air, but her lips managed to release a single word.

" _Please_."

Loki wavered. _Was he ready?_

A crack in his resolve.

Then, finally, Ada was able to gasp for air when he relaxed his hand. She coughed and spluttered, but he didn't shift from his position over her.

After a few minutes she could breathe easy, but the slight pressure of his continued hold was a warning not to move. Ada was still in a state of shock from his decision to let her live, along with the turmoil from what she'd done and seen. She didn't test him again.

She knew she'd taken the worst gamble imaginable, but it had been worth it to see all of it. Evidence of what he'd gone through, and the conflict that existed inside him.

_Monster, or man._

Her heart clenched for his as she remembered, shuddering deeply. "That was real?"

The hand that held her shook once more, if only slightly. Loki disguised it with a dark chuckle, "You are daring, I'll give you that—"

Her tears spilled over his hand as she wept. Her lashes stuck to her eyes that stared up at him, but no longer with the fear for her life that quite literally was in his hands. It wasn't pity either, as he'd first suspected. It was something more, bordering on sorrow.

In a flash of irate anger, Loki grabbed her wrist before her hand could touch his face. She gasped slightly, but it seemed she was resigned to his reaction.

"I am sorry, Loki," she said. Loki's grip on her wrist tightened, verging on painfully.

"For what, you insipid—"

"That you were alone."

Her eyes were far too honest. Too bright for his darkness to touch.

He found he couldn't look at them directly as his anger rose, then dissipated into familiar self-loathing.

All too abruptly, Loki released her and stood.

Ada was left on the bed to catch her breath alone. When she'd finally regained her faculties, she sat up fast, only to find Loki far away from her across the room. He stood with his back facing her. His hand rested deceptively light on the table.

Her whole body shook with the remnants of shock and fear, but the longer she looked at him, the more her fear of him burned away. If he hadn't killed her, what was there to fear? But as soon as she took a step near him, his terse voice stopped her.

"Leave."

He said it calmly, but it sounded like an order.

Ada touched her sore throat and looked up at him angrily. He was the one who had only just stopped himself from _killing_ her, and yet he was acting as if he were the only victim standing in this room.

There seemed to be a strong part of him that at very least, didn't want her to die. Perhaps even cared for her.

She wanted to hear him _say it_ —that she was more than a plaything to amuse him. He'd obviously cared enough about her wellbeing to help her once, when she'd been ill from stress and anxiousness, but now Ada was sure there was more to it than that.

"Loki—"

"If you have any wits about you, Lady Ada, do not test me further."

Ada stared at the broad, tense set of his shoulders and the slim lines of his back. She knew she had pushed too far. She'd also done what she told herself she would never do with magic. Just then, his words from their lesson returned to her with piercing clarity.

_If the opportunity presents itself to peer inside their mind and extract the information you seek, will you not do it if it saves their life?_

But she hadn't saved him, or herself. She'd only hurt him further, and in lashing out, he had hurt _her_.

Ada carried that guilt as she left him.


	10. Time of Reckoning

Ada went back to the Halls of Healing the following day. She and Mariel didn't speak, but she felt Eris's gaze on her when the other girl thought Ada wasn't looking.

Ada ignored both of them. She would return to what she knew and focus on that.

And she did, refreshing her herbology while she tested new potions and ointments, performed calculations, and recorded results. Mariel sent her on house calls to members of nobility in need of treatment, and she delivered supplies to other nearby clinics in the city.

Ada found satisfaction from the repetitive nature of her normal duties at first. It was familiar and she was practiced at the many aspects of her position. But her thoughts were far too scattered to keep focus. Whenever her mind drifted, it always caught on that look on Loki's face after the vision ended—both furious and scared.

Her skin prickled at the flashes of memory from the vision itself, the vivid _feeling_ of his pain, as if it were her own. And at times, a want for the release of death.

So Ada spent the next few days focusing only on her tasks as a healer, not as a sorceress. She didn't seek out Loki, and she was sure he was avoiding her. It was another few days before the spell at her wrist began to pulse, her chest aching painfully.

But she willed herself to ignore it. Instead, she tried to find her brother at his usual haunts. Maybe she was longing for some comfort in Fandral's jokes and easygoing attitude. Both had always served to calm her, especially when they were young, and more or less raising themselves when their mother so often fell ill.

While Ada didn't see Fandral at the tavern he often frequented (dingy and in need of repair, but warm and filled with laughter), she did encounter Volstagg.

"Aye, you didn't hear this from me, but he's been sulking," the large man chortled a bit.

"Why's that?" she asked.

"You know his mind's not usually preoccupied by serious matters, but I have a feeling a girl's got the best of him," said Volstagg.

Ada's surprise must have showed, but the warrior shot her a wink. "If I'm not mistaken, you know the lass."

"I do?" she asked dubiously. Until realization hit her with a pang. "Is she noble?"

"I'd wager so," Volstagg chuckled. "I've seen her before. A looker too. Got a mane of dark hair, even longer than yours."

"You'd better watch that roving eye of yours," Ada teased. "Hildegund will have that beard in a twist."

"And my head to go with it, I'd suspect," he agreed. He offered for her to join him for a drink, but Ada politely declined. She clearly had more business to do that day, and she preferred to reach Vira's home before dark.

"Careful on your way, then," Volstagg warned her. "I'll let Fandral know to go and see you."

For the first time in days, she gave a real smile. "Thank you."

After leaving the tavern in the city, Ada took the main road by carriage and went north where much of the nobility lived, in the regions both immediately east and west of the palace. Vira's mother ran her boutique from a district just north of the capital, and their estate was east of the palace.

Vira was glad to see her, even though they both knew Ada hadn't quite kept her promise as well as she'd intended to.

"It's all right, Ada. He came to see me anyway," Vira said once they sat down to tea in her chambers.

Ada's mouth opened in shock. "What? What did he say?"

"What matters is what I told him," Vira replied shortly. "He needn't return my affections nor meddle in my affairs. I am to be married within the month."

Ada didn't want to believe was she was hearing. Silence fell between them, tense and heavy, until she should stand it no more. "Why in Hel did you do that?"

Vira turned to her with a sharp look.

"You know as well as I, once an engagement is set, another suitor must offer his own proposal if he wants to intercede," Vira said. She shook her head. "I won't entrap him into marriage just because he feels sorry for me."

"He feels more than pity, Vy. I've seen how he speaks of you…or rather how he doesn't speak of you," Ada said. She took the other woman's hand in both of hers; they always used to, regardless if they were offering each other comfort or if they were watching a summer day go by.

"As much as I'd prefer not to picture you two… _together_ …coupled. What have you _—_ "

Vira rolled her eyes, despite her blush.

"If you make each other happy, how can I not also be?" Ada said. "I also don't think you're another conquest to him."

Vira snorted.

"How fortunate for me."

Ada was not due back at the palace for another two days. Vira insisted that she stay with her until then, and Ada agreed. They ate together and talked of frivolous things like they used to, and some not.

"You caused my brother quite a bit of embarrassment at the Winter Nights festival," Vira said. They both laid on her bed while she wove intricate braids into Ada's long copper hair.

"It wasn't what it looked like," Ada sighed. "I was going to speak to Fandral when someone…distracted me."

"Did you know him?"

"Well…yes and no," Ada managed. How was she _possibly_ going to explain this?

Vira's head turned towards her, and her brow rose. "He looked like a soldier, but Marus didn't recognize him."

Ada's heart stuttered. She wracked her brain to conjure a half-decent lie at least, anything at all plausible.

"The royal guard is immense. I doubt he knows everyone," she said at last.

"Hmm. What was his name?"

Her breath caught in her throat, though she reminded herself to relax. If Vira suspected she was lying, there was no physical way she could tell the truth. The Vow of Silence would prevent her from speaking Loki's name or revealing him in any way.

"I don't remember his name," Ada pretended to confess, affecting her embarrassment rather well (in her opinion). Her acting must have been convincing, because Vira sat up then with a smile of disbelief.

"Well then, he must have been quite persuasive," she remarked.

Ada nearly flushed as memories of that night came back to her against her will. _You have no idea._

"You laid with him, didn't you?"

Ada's eyes widened in the face of Vira's smirk. There was no accusation there, only amused teasing.

"I…I did not."

"You did too, you filthy liar."

A small pillow smacked Ada's face, stunning her for a moment. Faced with her friend's challenging grin, she sat up and grabbed a pillow from the bed and launched her own attack.

"I didn't!" Ada exclaimed with a laugh. Vira cut her off with another firm smack to the head.

"You can't lie to me, stupid girl! You've been _thoroughly_ deflowered," she whispered this, so no one, including passing attendants outside her door, could hear her proclaim such a scandal. "I won't stop until you tell me every sordid detail."

"Not on your life!"

* * *

The following afternoon, Vira dragged her once more into town. Specifically to the theater, which was what was making Ada so sour. For the thousandth time, they were playing _The Tragedy of Loki of Asgard_ , a performance which she'd suffered through more than enough. By this point she could name each and every one of the actors, including their understudies playing various smaller parts. Their seats were quite far back so they could get away with talking in between the slower parts. Though this put them, unfortunately, all too close to the King's raised platform.

Despite her better judgment, Ada allowed herself to glance behind her only once during his death scene.

And there "Odin" sat, snacking on grapes and drinking wine one of his attendants held for him. He looked every part the indulgent king, and it made Ada unreasonably angry. She had invaded his privacy, but had she not also given herself to him? He'd had every advantage over her, and she hadn't just given him her body. She'd given him her trust.

_Did that mean nothing to him?_

With a huff of hot irritation, she turned back to the play as it ended. The courtyard erupted with applause after the actor playing Odin gave his final monologue, and she heard the King himself give his more solemn congratulations for a well-performed show.

"Father?"

The voice came from the now standing crowd. Ada heard several gasps and excited murmurs, and she turned to see Prince Thor stood among them with something large strapped to his back, his hammer Mjolnir in hand.

"Dear gods, Prince Thor has returned," Vira said with surprise.

"He has," Ada nodded. She was focused on Loki's guise, secretly worried. She wasn't sure what he would do, or what Thor would do if he discovered the truth.

"Ah…welcome home, my son," Odin greeted him, though Ada could tell Loki was not expecting him. The people greeted the prince with applause. And though Thor raised a hand to them, Ada could see he was also focused on Odin.

"It is an interesting play. What's it called?" he asked. Odin sat upon his sofa on the dais and told him the insufferably long name.

"The people wanted to commemorate him."

"Indeed, they should," Thor said. He took the object he carried from his back. It was large and seemingly made of stone, and what looked like the great helmet of a demon. He gave it to a palace guard, instructing him to place the _skull of King Surtr_ under lock and key.

 _King Surtr_ , Ada pondered. _The fire king of Muspelheim?_

"His statue is also a great marvel," Thor remarked to Odin. "Perhaps an even better likeness than when he lived."

Thor's tone was flat and not bothering to hide his sarcasm. Ada realized then, with trepidation, that Thor also knew the truth. She sucked in a breath.

"Vira, stay here," she said.

Vira blinked in confusion while Ada left her standing at their seats. "What, where are you going?"

Ada swept past the people in her way as she approached the dais. Odin finally stood to speak with Thor, who swung his hammer idly as he detailed his recent travels.

"I've been having this recurring dream of late. Every night, I see Asgard fall into ruins. When I decided to investigate these strange omens, I find Alfheim being pillaged by Muspelheim's demons. Surtr himself planning our demise, allying with our long-defeated enemies. How could the All-Father not see such a troubling occurrence?"

He threw Mjolnir suddenly, far into the distance and placed a hand on Odin's shoulder. Whatever Thor said in his ear, Ada couldn't hear it. But as the hammer stopped at its far reach, she hurried up the dais and offered Prince Thor a deep curtsey of respect.

"My prince, welcome home," she said quickly.

"Lady Ada?" Thor looked at her in mild surprise. Odin's singular eye was focused on her, though she couldn't read _Loki's_ expression while in this guise. She couldn't reveal him, but also couldn't do nothing and watch him be killed.

"My lord, I—"

"Lady Ada, please wait just a moment," Thor said. Already his hammer was coming back, just as fast as it had been released. He grasped Odin's shoulders, guiding him to stand in the path of the weapon. He turned his head to Odin's ear, and Ada heard what he whispered.

"You know nothing will stop Mjolnir as it returns to my hand."

"My lord!" Ada pleaded. Odin turned to her sharply.

"Be silent," he ordered. Ada only glared at him. _How dare he_ , when she was trying to help that insufferable bastard!

Thor noticed the exchange, but he didn't have time to comment. The hammer was approaching all too quickly.

"All right, I yield!" Loki shouted, and Thor shoved him away just as he caught Mjolnir. Loki dropped his guise, to the shocked gasps and murmurs of the people. He looked upon Ada blankly, then raised his hands in surrender as he turned back to Thor.

"Where's Odin?" he demanded.

"You had what you wanted," Loki argued. "You had your independence. I had—"

"Did you kill him, Loki?" Thor clearly had no patience for games. He stepped forward threateningly and pinned Loki to the sofa with Mjolnir before he could disappear.

"He's alive," Loki confessed. His green eyes narrowed with irritation to do so, but it was in his best interests to speak the truth in this moment.

Ada breathed a sigh of relief, feeling vindicated that her hunch was correct.

Thor was clearly furious.

"Take me to him _now!_ "

Loki rolled his eyes. "And you say _I_ am dramatic _._ I know exactly where he is."

Thor's frown only deepened. He grabbed Loki's arm, but before they departed, he took Ada by surprise by calling to her.

"Y-Yes, my lord?" she replied.

"Please give word to Volstagg and Fandral to send for Hogun and keep the peace until I return," he said. "Will you do this for me?"

"Of course," she nodded. Her gaze wandered and locked with that of Loki, who stared back at her unreadably. The spell thrummed at her wrist, and he held it, just as she did hers.

"Let us go then," Thor said. If he noticed them again, he didn't offer comment. He just tightened his hold on Loki's arm before they took their leave to the Bifrost.

* * *

"I cannot believe this," Fandral paced the Halls of Healing with a seriousness Ada didn't often see in him. "I…how could he have been under our noses _this whole time?_ "

"It seems it takes extraordinary events for you to come and find me," Ada said flatly. She supposed she should have more patience. She had a much longer time to get used to the idea of Loki being alive, but the fact that Asgard was apparently in danger took greater precedence in her mind. Thor's dreams could still be pointing to something bigger than Loki's inadequacy as a ruler.

"It isn't like that and you know it," Fandral said, meeting her with a frown. Ada took his hand and they sat together at the table, where a number of her books were laid out. It was already evening, and Mariel and Eris had already returned home for the day. The quiet allowed Ada to work without distractions, but that peace had been broken by her brother storming in to check on her after being in the same proximity as the Trickster.

"Fandral, put all of this aside for a moment. I know it's not really the time, but I must talk to you about Vira."

Fandral immediately retrieved his hand. "There's nothing to discuss, Ada."

" _Listen_ to me, for once in your life!" she said. "She's a proud woman. She doesn't want to be pitied."

Her brother stared back at her for a while. So long that Ada wondered if she'd have to press him further. But eventually he sighed, shaking his head.

"I've never pitied that woman. I even…"

Fandral looked toward the window, but Ada suspected (with a drawn in breath) that he had offered Vira exactly what she'd wanted.

"She didn't want to trap you into a marriage, lest you grow to resent her," Ada told him. She watched her words sink in, first with disbelief, then with annoyed resignation, and at last, some soft fondness.

His gaze drifted, catching on the title of a book near his arm. He opened the cover and browsed a few pages, his brows furrowing all the while.

"What in Hel is this?"

She glanced at what he was reading and saw that it was the book of Aesir history of spells that Loki had given her.

"I thought you were learning _healing_ magic," he accused. "These are…"

"Magic is magic, Fandral. I've been learning other disciplines too," she admitted, though she now knew what caused him to look at a simple book as if it smelled foul.

"What is it that repulses you? Having a trickster in the family?" she retorted. Fandral glared at her, though the slight guilt in his eyes said her guess was correct.

"Who taught you this?" he demanded. "Lady Frigga still sleeps, so she couldn't have…"

His realization dawned slowly. He stood from the table, looking at her as if he no longer knew her. Like she had betrayed him.

In a way, she had. Not that she could admit it, even now with the spell already pressing on her chest as a crude reminder.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he hissed.

"I couldn't. I couldn't hope to tell you, brother." Ada stood and almost reached for him, but she stopped herself at the last moment. Even though she was angry, she was sorry to have lied to him, no matter the reason. "Even now...believe me when I say that I can't."

"Why?" he shot back. When Ada glanced down pointedly at the book of spells, she saw the pieces click into place. Fandral blinked in disbelief, then his expression morphed to one of anger that she so rarely saw.

"A…a spell?" he asked. " _He dared place you under a spell?_ "

Just as his shout echoed off the walls, the ground tremored enough to shake the test tubes and racks of potions on shelves and counters. They looked to one another in shock.

"What was that?" Ada asked. Fandral grabbed her hand.

"Come with me."

They made their way together down to the throne room, where Volstagg was approaching them quickly.

"What's going on?" Ada asked. She didn't like the grave look on the normally jovial man's face.

"A witch has come to Asgard," he said. "She's slaughtered all in her path as she approaches the city gates."


	11. Separation & Siege

_A witch has come to Asgard._

Ada carried Fandral's instructions with her as she hurried through the palace with two accompanying guards.

" _The city is no longer safe. The royal guard is evacuating the people as we speak_ ," Fandral had said. " _You must escape to the outland villages in the south_ … _I'll come for you there when I can._ "

She'd hadn't had time to argue with him, because in that moment she remembered that the Queen still slept, peacefully unaware that their home was being invaded. Ada had agreed to make sure the Lady Frigga was moved safely, and upon arriving at her chambers, the guards with her informed the men posted there to guard the Queen. Ada ran past them, opening the door and moving to kneel at her Mistress's bedside.

"It would be so much easier if you were awake," Ada whispered. Her brows furrowed in worry. How could they safely move her without calling attention to themselves, should the intruder manage to get past her brother and Volstagg?

But the harder she wracked her brain, the more helpless she felt…until a thought suddenly clicked in her mind. Not just a spell, but something she'd never considered before.

_Maybe it'll work…_

The guards arrived with a palanquin that would carry the Queen, but Ada raised a hand.

"Let me try one thing, and if it fails, we will carry her out," she said.

"I do not take orders from you, my lady. Ours is to see to the Queen's safety," said one of the guards. She'd heard Fandral call him Haegr. He was bearded and battle weathered, but Ada stood her ground.

"Lord Fandral gave you express orders to save her, did he not?" Before Haegr could respond, she did her best to channel Mariel's unwavering authority. "At the moment, I am the only healer you have in this palace, and it is my discretion as a physician that I must try to wake her one last time. Either you'll let me work as fast as I'm able, or you'll continue to waste our time by distracting me."

When the guard only stared back at her hard with a displeased frown, Ada turned back around and let out a calming breath, steadying her nerves. She called the prickle of magic to her fingertips, recalling the words to a spell Frigga had taught her. It was the spell of regeneration that Ada had used to reverse the effects of her wound once before, but she then altered the words to include a provocation of memory. The very same she'd used on Loki.

She touched a hand to Frigga's forehead, and Ada lost both sight and sound.

Her vision was dark, until it flickered with vivid color and a compression of memories. As she watched the images flit by without being able to hold onto one or see clearly what was swimming past in the menagerie of colors and formless shapes, a voice called to her consciousness.

" _Lady Ada?_ "

It was familiar and warm, if confused. Tired.

_My Queen._

Ada saw a vision of her. The Lady Frigga was stunning, with her long blonde hair unbound and clothed in a draping silver gown. There were tears of sorrow and regret in her eyes as she looked back at Ada.

" _I know_ ," Frigga said, while a tear fell from her cheek. _"It is time._ "

Ada's eyes snapped open with a jolt. She breathed heavily, covering her own tear-streaked face at the full force of the emotions she'd felt. It was unnerving knowing they weren't her own, but just as after the first time she'd accomplished a memory spell, she felt incredibly guilty.

She only startled when a hand fell on her shoulder. Ada turned her face up to the Queen, who had placed her sorrow behind a mask of strength, despite how her arm trembled.

"We must leave this place immediately," she said.

The guards knelt before the Queen, and Ada bowed her head low as well.

"I'm sorry, your Majesty. Please forgive my intrusion."

Frigga shakily took her hand and squeezed, allowing Ada to lift her head.

"You woke me, child. And I thank you for it," she said. "But now we must go. Hela is coming."

 _Hela_. Ada wondered if that was indeed the witch who was even now shaking the palace gates.

"We've arranged your transport, your Grace," Haegr said. "We will take you to the southern villages."

"Let us go then," she nodded. Ada helped her stand, for even though Frigga's countenance was strong as ever, her body was still weak for how long she had slept. Mariel's spell of preservation had kept her muscles from atrophy, but perhaps her mind and body still needed time to reconnect with one another.

Haegr and his men led them to a side passage that led into a wealth of tall trees, away from the city. Ada hesitated to board the carriage, turning her head sharply to the sound of a great explosion on the other side of the palace. Smoke bloomed into the sky, and her anxiety mounted.

"Come, Ada," Frigga said, pulling her in. "Asgard has strength yet."

Ada went reluctantly, but as the carriage doors closed and the palace grew farther behind them, she worried. Fandral and Volstagg had the power of the entire royal army behind them, but Ada had not seen this witch. She'd only felt the tremors in the ground and heard her manic laughter from outside the gates.

"You know of this witch?" she asked the Queen.

"I have not had the privilege of meeting her," Frigga drawled, "but I've seen her with my foresight. This will be a tragic, bloody day in our history."

With this she sighed, holding all the weight and sorrow of her years as Queen upon her back.

"I too feel as if I'm abandoning the people I love. _My_ people," she said. "But we must be strong this day, so that we may live to see the next."

Ada took in an unsteady breath. Her mind unbidden thought of Loki, likely on Midgard with Thor. Even now, the Vow prevented her from speaking her _other_ son's name. She wondered if Frigga knew he still lived.

"My Queen, Thor is on Midgard in search of the All-Father," she said. Frigga nodded, smiling ruefully. But there was something else in her eyes that called back the unmistakable ache of sorrow Ada had sensed so viscerally.

"Yes. He already found him."

"What?" Ada blinked in shock. Some concern coiled in her again to imagine what that meeting must have been like, if Loki was with them. "W-Well, that's good news."

Frigga took in a shaking breath. "Adalheid, the All-Father is dead."

* * *

" _It took me a while to break from your spell. Frigga would've been proud._ "

The words burned into his mind like poison.

Loki didn't often feel guilt, and never had he thought he would feel it toward Odin of all people. But as the man finally faced his sons in his dying moments, Loki didn't feel like the traitorous outcast, or even the lesser son.

" _When I look upon you both, my legacy, I see several of my mistakes laid bare like open wounds," he said, nodding in acceptance. "I am paying for them now."_

" _Father, there is still time," Thor insisted. "We can get you back to Asgard, to the Halls of Healing—"_

" _There is nothing that can or should be done. My time has finally come to leave this world," said Odin. To Loki's surprise, the man turned to him. "I leave it to both my sons."_

Loki stared at the walls of his apartments that he'd been living in for some weeks. Sakaar was a violent, aimless world that he'd found himself cast into. It was ruled by chaos and deception, but also by the Grandmaster.

He was the biggest lie of all, that frivolous psychopath, but he was an effective man. He'd created a death-by-combat society in order to entertain a planet of degenerates, mainly himself.

Fortunately, the social rules of this planet played directly into Loki's strengths. It hadn't taken him long to gain favor with the Grandmaster. But now that Thor was here as well (that great, stupid oaf had gotten himself captured into the Grandmaster's survival game), it would be infinitely harder to ignore such a perfect opportunity to stay as far away from Hela and Asgard as possible.

_It is upon us. Ragnarok._

The thought was bitter. After everything, Asgard would fall to that wretch from Hel itself.

Loki gritted his teeth, holding his wrist as it burned with a ruthless magic. This damned Vow had been a curse upon himself as well, but he knew that with a simple command he could release it with ease. There really was no need for it. Not anymore, after Thor had so infuriatingly revealed him. Asgard was not long for this world anyway.

But…if the spell still had such power, across entire star systems, it meant that Hela had not yet won.

Ada was still alive.

That thought also strangely gave him some comfort. His… _father_ , was dead. Thor hated him for leaving Odin stranded on Earth, stripped of his power, and though his mother still lived, there was a greater chance of her never waking again. And if she did wake, surely she would hate him more than Thor for causing her husband's death.

Or, she too would become a casualty of Hela's rage, along with the rest of Asgard. And there was very little Loki could do.

He shook his head at the path of his thoughts. As if _he_ was ever going to play the hero.

After a moment's hesitation, Loki conjured a familiar trinket into his hand. A simple ring of pale gold that still held traces of Ada's aura, the warmth of her that had become embedded in his memory. He twisted the ring between his fingers, almost feeling the softness of her skin, the sweet and arousing sounds of her voice in his ear when he touched her.

Loki then sighed deeply in frustration. "Great. Just great."

His free hand raised to cover his face, ridding himself of the images filtering through his mind. He clenched his fist and the ring bit into his palm. With a sinking feeling and a self-deprecating smile, Loki realized that perhaps he'd become a tad more sentimental as of late.

* * *

Ada didn't know what they would encounter in the wilderness of the south, but she definitely hadn't expected Heimdall. He looked much different after months of exile, without his armor. Clearly, he'd survived by his own skill and knowledge of the land outside of the city, and beyond the villages.

"My Queen, I saw that you were coming. Please follow me," he'd said, and "traitor" or not, Ada wasn't about to argue.

He led them to a seemingly ancient stronghold, which Frigga had explained was once the seat of power in Asgard before the main palace had been moved more centrally. Inside, hundreds of Asgardians took refuge, from farmers and village folk, to nobility and people from the city. Soldiers that had led the evacuations had also found their way here. But each of these congregated in groups of those who were familiar with one another.

"Have you seen the fate of the city?" Frigga asked. Heimdall led them to a more private corner so they all could speak.

"What of my brother, and Volstagg?" Ada added. The look that darkened his features made her heart drop with dread.

"I have," he said gravely. "…The palace has fallen to Hela. She laid waste to the entire guard and the royal army."

"Y-You are saying," Ada began. Her vision was already blurring, but she refused to believe that logic dictated. "You saw Fandral's death? You saw _him_ fall."

Heimdall's expression held pity. She wanted it as much as she wanted the crushing feeling of despair steady rising to choke her.

"I am sorry, my lady."

"Oh, Ada," Frigga said softly. She touched her hand, but Ada didn't feel a thing. She'd lost the breath in her lungs as her mind sought to understand.

Her only family left in this world was taken from her.

But more than this, he'd died feeling betrayed by her lies, and by her magic. He'd died wondering if he could trust her.

Frigga enveloped the girl in her arms before she stumbled, leading her to sit on a half-crumbled bench. She brushed Ada's hair away from her face and simply held her, as a mother would. Though Frigga looked up with suspicion, then with interest as a soldier stood not quite in the doorway, watching with wide, shocked eyes. He left, but soon returned with another young woman, dark-haired and wary.

Once she saw Ada, her face broke with relief and joy. She hurried forward and addressed herself, bowing low to the Queen. Upon hearing her voice, Ada gasped through tears and raised her head.

"Vira!"

The young women embraced tearfully, each silently thanking the gods that the other was safe and alive.

* * *

Days later, Ada was even more grateful for Vira than she ever had been. They mourned Fandral together, and when it became easier to speak of him, they shared stories at mealtimes with Volstagg's mourning wife Hildegund, though she was trying to remain strong for their children. Sigrid, the little girl, was barely seven. Her two younger brothers were four and almost two, so Ada often volunteered to watch the baby, if only to take her mind away from Fandral and the state of their tenuous safety.

According to Heimdall, Hela was already looking for them as she continued gaining power and conquering the rest of Asgard in her fury. Her command over the dead remained, even though she was outside of her realm. Heimdall had seen her call up an army from the grounds of death she'd created, and something much larger and more terrifying that the watcher had refused to give name to while Ada listened. She was frustrated not to be included, but realistically she was no warrior, nor a member of the royal family. She had no reason to be particularly "in the know."

Except if (or when) Hela finally found them.

"Oh Kael, please eat," Ada sighed wearily. "Do it for me."

She held a bottle of milk to the child's lips, but she kept stubbornly turning her head.

"Perhaps it's too hot," Eris said. She approached with none of her usual derision, making Ada suspicious, but slightly less tense.

Eris gestured to the bottle. "May I?"

Ada had been trying to get the baby to eat for nearly an hour, so she nodded and gave Eris the bottle. Her hands glowed deeply purple, stirring the liquid within. After a moment, she handed it back.

"It should be milder, but still warm enough," Eris said.

Ada raised a brow. When she offered Kael the bottle, she let it touch his lips and finally he accepted it. Ada sighed in relief.

"Thank you."

"It's fine. I just prefer not to hear babies crying."

Ada stared at Eris's back as she'd already turned away from her, but Ada still had to wonder why. Was it because they all may suffer the same fate, or was it something else?

"Eris," she called. When the other woman stopped, but didn't turn, Ada spoke, "You were right before. I haven't always appreciated what I had and what I was given, just because I was lucky enough to be born into nobility. But, I can only work hard to be worthy of what I do have...if we survive this war."

Eris sighed deeply. She turned and faced Ada with a tired, if regretful look. "I'm sorry I spoke ill of your mother."

After a moment, Ada accepted this with a nod. When they parted ways, her heart still felt empty.

Vira's presence was a balm, as was the Queen's. And Marus, though she was glad he too survived, she was also grateful he had thus far kept his distance from her. She didn't have the energy to deal with the aftermath of Winter Nights and try to explain herself, because that would only mire her into more lies.

But inevitably, that afternoon he sat beside her at dinner, a meager stew and some crusts of bread. He waited until Vira was busy playing with Hildegund's children to finally glance in her direction.

"It's been a long time," he noted.

"It has," she agreed blandly. It wasn't that she had no remorse for what happened, but he clearly wanted to get something off his chest, and she was in no mood to feel guilt over something that had mostly been Loki's fault.

The thought of Loki reminded her of the reason she hardly got any sleep at night; the spell that still bound them was persistent as ever, reminding her how far apart they were. She wanted to know where he was, if he was _safe_ , and that alone made her afraid.

Afraid of what feelings actually lied in her heart.

"I'm sorry for your brother, Ada," Marus said. "He was a good man, and I admired him."

_Oh._

Well, that wasn't what she expected. Despite herself, Ada's guilt did rise. Her grief was even more crippling to her heart.

She thanked Marus for the condolences for Fandral. Now especially, she wished she hadn't lost the ring her brother gave her. She'd genuinely cherished it, and now it couldn't even serve as a reminder of him.

"Vira told me what happened the night of Winter Nights wasn't your fault," he said. "I wish you would've just come to me after…but I understand such things can be…embarrassing to explain."

"Marus," she tried to interrupt. She didn't want to talk of this, as all it was doing was reminding her of that night, and Loki, and his igniting touch, and every other thought she meant to avoid.

"I've always admired you too," Marus confessed. "You know who you are, Ada."

"Really?" she almost scoffed. These past few months, she couldn't count how many times she'd looked straight into the mirror and couldn't recognize the woman staring back at her. The same gray eyes and brown hair. The same soft chin, dark brows and familiar features. And yet, she was wholly and utterly changed. _For better, or for worse, I still don't know._

"Really," Marus nodded.

Marus's words managed to shine a glimmer of light on her soul. Despite the mangled world of her thoughts, Ada was flattered. But she couldn't help but war with what just wasn't inside her when she looked at him. In his eyes, she was still the same girl he knew as a child. Shy, naive, complacent, and willing to let other people decide her fate. _Solemn_.

Perhaps Marus wasn't looking hard enough.

* * *

After dinner, Ada found herself wandering the halls of the stronghold. It really was an impressive structure. Its empty grayness just felt more like a tomb.

She eventually came upon Heimdall and Lady Frigga speaking closely to one another. Ada couldn't hear what was being said, but soon enough the former watcher nodded and stood, offering a respectful bow before he saw himself out. He gave Ada a nod and a smile as he passed her, and she returned it.

"Ada, come in, dear," Frigga called to her. Ada obliged, sitting next to her at an old table.

"Do you need anything, my Queen?"

Frigga's smile was knowing.

"That isn't what you want to ask, is it?"

Ada breathed something of a rueful laugh. Her perceptiveness, along with a great many things, reminded her of Loki.

"Hela is not just a witch come to take advantage of our weakness," she said. "Who is she exactly? Where did she come from?"

Frigga nodded with a heavy sigh.

"When my husband was young and bold—before I knew him, mind you—he sought the power to build his empire. As he explained it to me, Odin called upon the Goddess of Death, Hela."

Frigga's expression was grim in light of Ada's widened eyes.

"But she was eternally bound to rule over her realm of the dead. In return from releasing her from Hel, she helped him in his conquest of the Nine Realms," Frigga said. Her blue eyes were grave. "It didn't take long before he found her thirst for blood to be too great to control. At great cost to himself, he banished her back to her dominion, and she has raged ever since. Only his power kept her bound…"

"But after his death…" Ada supplied, feeling the well of anxiety bloom in her chest again.

"She has risen up to enact her vengeance," Frigga finished.

Ada hadn't exactly been the most loyal of subjects as of late, but she still felt sadness for the late King's death. And she certainly felt sympathy and concern for Frigga.

"I'm deeply sorry for your loss, my Queen," she said, feeling bold enough to touch her arm. Frigga couldn't quite smile, but she grasped her hand and squeezed it with motherly affection.

"I take comfort that both my sons are alive."

Ada was grateful for that knowledge as well, though it was starting to concern her how, more and more, she was finding it hard not to think of Loki throughout her day. What he was doing, and if he was trying at all to get back to Asgard with Thor. With all this, the ache she couldn't sooth in her chest had become an odd comfort.

"Oh, my dear," Frigga gasped quietly. Her brows furrowed as she squeezed Ada's hand again.

"What is this spell?" she whispered. "It wraps around you like a chain."

Ada's throat constricted with both nervousness and exhaustion. The strain of it might've become a somewhat comforting presence in the past few days, but it was still taxing to conceal from others. She should've known Frigga would sense it.

"This is an old, archaic binding," she noted. "There are few in this realm who would know of it, even fewer you would come across. Who…?"

"I cannot tell you," Ada whispered. Tears welled in her eyes, but Frigga brushed them away. When she only shook her head and embraced her warmly, Ada knew she didn't have to tell her.

Frigga's sigh was heavy. "Oh, my dear. I _am_ sorry."

"…Sorry?" Ada sniffed. "For what?"

They were startled, however, when the ground and walls shook. Small grains of rock and stone fell from the ceiling, and Heimdall soon appeared in the hall.

"Hela will soon be upon us," he said, though Ada couldn't understand why he smiled. "But I've found a friend."

Ada gasped.

Haggard, clothes torn and bloody from a wounded arm, but still grinning in the doorway, was Fandral.


	12. The End of All Things

" _Brother, you're becoming predictable."_

Loki grit his teeth, hand clenching over the ship's steering wheel as those words irrationally made his blood boil. The ship he'd… _acquired_ from the Grandmaster was packed to the brim with idiots of all kinds—mostly from the champions of his game. Thor had set them free on his way out of Sakaar, along with Dr. Banner and his new ally, the Valkyrie.

Even Loki could acknowledge, she was formidable. If drunk, most of the time.

And if _she_ had been the only one to best him in the past twenty-four hours, Loki might have been less put out. The strength and skill of the Valkyries had been legendary, before Hela's rage destroyed them so many centuries ago. To meet one was something even Loki had never thought possible.

But the fact that his brother, the bumbling, blonde idiot had managed to not only anticipate his deception, but pay him in kind…it was infuriating as it was rather embarrassing.

For the first time in so dreadfully long, Loki actually questioned himself.

_Is he right?_

" _You betray me, and I yearn to see the good in you,"_ Thor had said, looking down at him with that ridiculous haircut that only detracted a moment from his apparent sadness. Loki wouldn't admit it, but the sight of Thor's disappointment (that he'd once openly mocked) now slightly stung.

" _Brother, life is about change and learning from your mistakes. Yet you seem to want to stay just as you are, using me and father as an excuse for what you've become…I suppose you'll always be the God of Mischief, but you could be more_."

All of this while Loki laid writhing, being shocked with thousands of volts of electricity at once. In the end, it had been a pretty decent trick. For Thor, at least.

His frustration winning over, Loki slammed his palm against the dashboard of the ship, cursing aloud when he nearly hit the wrong button. The last thing he needed was this gargantuan vessel falling out of alignment with the coordinates he'd plugged in.

"You all right there, bruv?" said Korg. The rock creature was particularly dull and senseless, but he wrangled the other fighters and lowlifes efficiently enough for Loki to ignore him.

"Fine," he said flatly.

"'Cuz if you need, I can get ya something," Korg said. "Not that there's much on the ship besides old booze and a hoard of used sexual instruments, but—"

Loki resisted the urge to call up his knives. He reduced it down to a simple but dark glare, which thankfully was enough for Korg and his collective to leave him be.

With the ship finally out of lightspeed, he could see they had just passed Vanaheim. Soon they would arrive at Asgard, no matter what would greet them there. Unconsciously, (or perhaps consciously, he didn't readily know at this point), Loki conjured the ring into his hand.

He also didn't know why Ada kept drifting back to his mind. While she likely still lived, if the spell was any indication, he doubted she would care much that he was alive and returned. He imagined she would be quite content if Hela slayed him where he stood.

* * *

_We're not going to make it._

Ada held onto Vira's hand, possibly too tight in her grasp as they ran for their lives across the Rainbow Bridge. But even if there was no hope, she was determined to keep the ones she loved alive with her just a little bit longer. In her other hand, she pulled Volstagg's young daughter Sigrid. Hildegund held her baby while Vira had the other little boy in one arm.

The six of them moved closely behind Frigga, while at the helm of their large group was Heimdall, Fandral, Marus, and the rest of the warriors who'd managed to survive. They were cutting their way past Hela's undead army, while the Goddess of Death herself was being pushed back by Prince Thor, and another woman Ada didn't recognize. She seemed fierce enough that Ada could see why Thor had befriended her, wherever he'd been since returning to Asgard. But at least he'd had impeccable timing.

The only problem was, the end of the bridge was quickly approaching and they had no way of escape.

That is, until a behemoth of a ship broke into the atmosphere, descending upon them quickly. Ada's eyes widened as it slowed just before landing on the edge of the bridge. The doors opened, and several odd-looking warriors spilled out of it. Some of races Ada had never seen before and couldn't name, but she did recognize one. Her mouth fell open in shock.

" _Your savior has arrived!_ "

Loki stood in his full regalia, the helmet of golden horns shining as wickedly as his smile. Though to Ada it looked a touch forced. With a sweep of his hand at Heimdall, he instructed the people of Asgard to climb aboard.

"You've _got_ to be kidding me," Vira said incredulously. Ada looked to Frigga, whose eyes were light with happiness. But it also warred with worry, anger, and sadness all at once. Then her gaze shifted to Ada.

"Let's go," Frigga said. She grabbed Ada's arm, and the young woman went willingly with Sigrid and Vira in tow. Ada had precious little time to digest what she was seeing as Loki vaulted off the loading dock of the ship and joined the fray with Thor.

Ada was pulled along with the crowd towards the ship, but her eyes followed Loki as he fought just as intense and adept as she knew him to be. His fighting style was fluid and precise, but no less deadly, dispatching a handful of Hela's undead with ease. It allowed Thor and the dark-haired woman to focus on Hela, who laughed just as manically while he unleashed his most fearsome attacks on her.

Ada's eyes widened even larger to see lightning release from the heavens at the call of Thor's very hands, _without_ his hammer.

"Ada, get up!" It was Fandral who grabbed her hand. He'd already helped Frigga, Hildegund and Vira upon the ship. Ada and Sigrid were next, and he reached out to her along with Marus, who got ahold of her other arm.

She unconsciously looked up into Marus's face when he hauled her off the bridge and closely to him for lack of space on the dock. He stared down at her, something intense passing in his eyes. Ada was grateful when the moment passed and he turned away to make sure Vira was all right.

The ship was already taking off at the direction of Heimdall at the helm. Ada assumed he was flying the ship, because she could faintly hear his voice drift out from inside.

But it seemed their escape couldn't be so easy.

Suddenly the ship lurched as something struck it hard from underneath. As Sigrid squealed, losing her balance for a moment, instinctively Ada reached out to steady her. But the ship rocked again just as Ada stepped toward her.

Her heel slipped on the edge of the dock, and Ada felt the world rush behind her as she screamed and fell.

* * *

Loki yanked his knife back from the corpse of a dead soldier. Or rather, an undead one. He couldn't only ensure its second death was more swift than the first. He had done his part to divert Hela's attentions from the people, but she had clearly grown in power. Whatever had balanced her in Hel was no longer restraining her now.

As she held Thor at bay from his attack, Hela looked up and past them with a dark growl, until a smirk curved her black lips. She raised a hand that glowed with magic, and Loki followed the path of where she was looking with unease.

A set of spikes rose from the ground and stabbed through the bottom of the ship, holding it in place. But that didn't trouble him as much as the shrill scream he heard, then watched as a woman fell from great height down to the bridge below.

Fandral's blonde head was peering far over the edge with a distressed shout, and Loki finally recognized her by the spill of her russet hair. As if answering his thoughts, Loki's wrist burned with their spell as his teeth ground against one another.

A pack of Hela's army stumbled past him towards the easy pickings—a girl lying unmoving on the bridge. But Loki was faster. He threw both of his knives and called two short swords to replace them, dispatching of the rest before they could reach her. Loki knelt down beside Ada and couldn't stop himself from touching her pale cheek. She was dirty and unkempt, clearly having been on the run for what seemed to be weeks. She also wasn't responding to his gentle prodding.

"Ada, do you hear me?" he shook her shoulders, a bit less gentle. When she still didn't wake, he slid his hands behind her back and under her legs to hoist her into his arms.

"The Hel do you think you're doing?!"

Loki turned his cool gaze on Fandral, who was slightly breathless and had clearly jumped from the ship as well.

"Save us both some time and make yourself useful for once," Loki bit back, "we have to dislodge the ship."

Rarely had Loki seen Fandral truly murderous, but the look he wore called to Loki's desire for a good fight he knew he would win. Alas, now wasn't quite the time.

"How dare you touch her, you conniving wretch!"

"We need something bigger," Thor interrupted. He approached quickly with the Valkyrie in step with him. A large blast of lightning had stunned Hela temporarily, but she was taking her sweet time to make her way towards them now, a black, jagged sword in each hand and darkness in her eyes.

"How much bigger?" Loki drawled.

"We just need to hold her off until the ship takes off," said Valkyrie.

"It won't end there," Thor said. "The longer she remains free from Hel, the more powerful she grows. She'll hunt us down. We need to stop her here and now."

"What do you suggest?" Fandral still seethed, but his irritated glance told Loki he was willing to put a pin in their little spat for later. Out of the corner of his eye, he checked on Ada, frowning when there was no change in her. She wasn't bleeding, but it was from no small height that she'd fallen. He didn't have the time to examine her further, at least not yet.

It was then that Thor released the idiotic, foolhardy, most brilliantly mad idea Loki had ever heard him spew.

"Surtr's crown, the vault!" Thor's eyes, or rather eye—he seemed to be missing one, no doubt thanks to Hela—it found Loki's. "Loki, we must bring about Ragnarok."

His lips parted with a grin. "Bold move, brother. Even for me."

He turned to Fandral, offering him an impish smile when the other man glared at him for his dear sister still held in his arms.

"Don't worry. She'll be _safe_ with me."

* * *

Loki hadn't been able to help the parting quip, despite Thor's exasperated frown. But as Loki settled Ada in the seat beside his at a recline, brushing her hair away from her face as she slept, he found he didn't very much care about Fandral's hurt pride.

 _If she really was so dear to him, he wouldn't have let her fall_ , Loki inwardly snarked. He clicked her seatbelt into place and quickly started up the orange monstrosity that was the Grandmaster's more notorious pleasure cruiser, the _Commodore_.

He then focused on driving it straight through Asgard to the palace ahead. He was going to steal the crown of Surtr and _intentionally_ start Ragnarok by placing it in the Eternal Flame…

Loki had pulled his share of mischief in his time, but he believed this was breaking new ground.

"This is madness," he muttered.

"L-Loki?"

His head turned to Ada sharply with relief he'd neither express nor show. But his eyes did soften slightly when she winced, raising a hand to her aching head and blinking owlishly at her surroundings. Her confusion gave way to startled surprise when she finally noticed him. He managed a smirk.

"Now is not the time to sleep, darling."

"What…where are we? What are you doing?" she stammered.

Instead of answering her just then, he concentrated on pulling up the ship and landing in a garden courtyard in the palace, flattening several hedges and crumbling a fountain in his wake. It was the closest he could get to where he needed to be. The rest he would have to do quickly.

"Don't move," he told her as he rose from his seat. Before she could do the same, his hand shot out to tap her seatbelt with a spell that would bind it in place. So she couldn't unbuckle, and would be forced to stay in her seat.

He'd save more time by going in alone.

Once she realized what he'd done, her temper sparked all too familiarly. "Are you serious? Loki!"

His smirk became more genuine in light of her hollering. Though he gave into the urge to smooth his thumb across her cheek. At the very least, she grew quiet with a stunned blush.

"No time to explain, I'm afraid. I shall return shortly."

"Loki, you'd better not leave me here," she warned, but he was already halfway out the door.

Ada glowered after him with every frustration to watch him go, including (unfortunately) the ache of longing. She'd been relieved to see him again, and even now, undoubtedly by the fluttering in her heart when his familiar grin sent her heart racing along with his touch.

 _Damn that man_ , she nearly growled. She knew she'd fallen off the ship, but why were they _here_?

Worried, she looked to the Rainbow Bridge in the distance. The ship had finally been freed, but if the brilliant shocks of lighting she was seeing were any indication, Thor was still having a go of it against Hela. If Frigga was right, there was very little that could stop the witch now that she was free from her domain.

But Ada was all too soon dislodged from her thoughts as a large tremor shook the palace, and a fire giant burst forth from the center. He broke the roof of the palace into crumbling pieces as he drew a great sword from his hip, and on his head was a terribly large crown that was somewhat familiar to Ada, despite her paralyzing dread.

Then she realized. _King Surtr's crown…_

Loki bursting into the ship made her gasp in fright, then sigh heavily with relief. Until that broke way to anger once again.

"What did you _do_?" she shouted.

"I started Ragnarok," Loki said as he slid back into the pilot's seat. His fingers flew over the dashboard of the ship in order to take it out of his autopilot hovering and crank it into gear.

It took a moment for Ada to comprehend what he'd just told her, but when she did, she was suddenly grateful she was strapped into her seat. She felt rather lightheaded.

"You're mad."

"Quite possibly, yes," he agreed.

"Why do you smile when you say that?" She closed her eyes and breathed, long and slow to get ahold of her nerves. "I suppose it's best you're still alive."

Ada opened her eyes to meet Loki's grin.

"Oh?" he asked. "Miss me already?"

She glared at him. "So I can strike you once more before the world ends!"

Loki chuckled deeply.

"I'll endeavor to give you the chance, my lady."

* * *

By the time the _Commodore_ reached the larger ship, Surtr had done most of his work in destroying Asgard. Hela, for all her rage and power, was consumed by fire along with the rest of the planet.

Ada watched with tears as her home, everything she'd ever known, crumbled into nothing before her eyes. Loki had slipped away from her as soon as they'd stepped foot on the ship, but Fandral had found her soon after. She now turned her face into his chest, grateful that he was alive. Her brother held her tightly, pressing a kiss to her brow in comfort.

"I'm sorry, Ada," he said gently. She shook her head.

"For what?"

"For leaving you alone," he said. His hand came up to rest on the top of her head. His brows crunched with the regret and sadness pooling in his blue eyes. Ada also saw his grief, and she felt that with him as well. Hogun. Volstagg. Countless others, but at least Volstagg's wife, Hildegund was here with them, where they could support her and her family. Hogun's family was on Vanaheim, still unaware of his fate.

"And…" Fandral added, not without difficulty. "I'm sorry for not trusting you. Magic is something I've never rightly understood, and always associated it with…"

"With Loki," Ada nodded. She instinctively pulled away from him, averting her gaze to the floor. She understood why he felt this way, just as she knew it would be a while before he could look at the fallen prince with anything other than disdain.

Fandral raised a gentle fist under her chin, so she couldn't hide her face.

"He cares for you. Never thought I'd see the day, but he cares about someone other than himself," he smirked humorlessly. She could tell the mere idea irritated him. "Why it had to be you, I'll never begin to know."

Ada didn't have a good answer for him. She still didn't know for sure if that was true or not. She remembered very little after she fell, only that she'd woken up inside the ship with Loki suddenly _there_ , after weeks of…well, it had been startling, to say the least.

" _Now is not the time to sleep, darling."_

The richness of his voice, no matter how teasing. The amusement playing mischievously across his face, even though his touch on her check had been warm and soft and maybe more telling than his words.

"You have a gift, Ada."

Her brother's voice shook her from her thoughts. She looked up at him, and his hand moved from her chin to grasp her shoulder.

"I'm sorry I didn't see it before, but don't let me, or anyone else stifle it," he said. His smile was genuine, if still a bit sad. "I just…wish I was better at protecting you."

Ada smiled back and reached up to hold his hand warmly.

"You don't have to try so hard, brother. I love you, as you are," she said. "I just ask for the same from you."

Fandral's smile quirked at the corner. He brushed his hand over her hair teasingly. "That's what you'll get then."

Despite everything, she laughed.

Together they watched Heimdall declare Thor king over the Asgardian people that remained. Frigga stood at his side, a proud and tearful smile on her face. But Ada noticed how she too withdrew when the people rose up to crowd Thor with their grateful praises.

Frigga moved to the darker hall, where Loki stood looking back at her. Ada couldn't read his expression, but what she would give to hear what they were saying.

"Ada."

Mariel's voice started her, but she turned to the older woman and nodded with respect. Despite their differences, Ada was glad to see her alive. Eris also stood not far behind her.

"Would you help us treat the wounded?" asked Eris. She wore a weary expression that approached a smile. "We could use your hands."

A small smile lifted Ada's lips. She too was exhausted, but she could manage this. It was what she was meant to do, especially in a time like this.

She turned to her brother with a pointed gesture at Vira, who spoke to Hildegund in hushed tones. "Go check on her then, you fool."

Fandral gave her an annoyed, though still affectionate glare.

"You and I'll be having words later," he warned, not so discreetly gesturing with his eyes at Loki across the room. "I want to know just what was going on all this time…or, maybe I don't."

"Oh, go on," Ada waved dismissively in his direction as she joined the two women down to the other end of the ship. She looked over to Eris, who looked more put together than Ada felt after losing their home. Eris had always been adept at hiding her true thoughts.

She knew though, just because Eris didn't show it, didn't mean she wasn't feeling just as lost and exhausted as Ada did.

"I may need your shoulder to lean on if there are many wounds to mend," Ada remarked. "I'm already swaying."

Eris surprised her by reaching out and grasping her arm supportively. She raised her head, but found Eris staring ahead of them. She wore a small grin.

"Together, or not at all."

Following closely behind them, Mariel lowered her chin to hide her own tired smile.

They arranged about twenty men and women on the second floor of the ship, away from the celebration happening above so they could rest in a quiet place. None of their wounds were particularly dangerous, but some had sustained significant cuts, bruising, twisted limbs, and the like.

Ada's higher spirits only dimmed when she came across Marus, who had a long cut across his midsection. She saw it clearly now that he'd removed his armor, revealing the expanse of otherwise smooth and toned muscle underneath. Yet again, she could admit he was an attractive man.

He watched her with a vaguely amused smile as she approached him.

"I'm glad to see you are well. I heard you fell."

"You didn't see it?" she asked as she began with the wound. Her hands glowed with magic as she called up the spell Frigga had taught her. It would be faster than stitching him by hand, and more effective anyway.

"People were packing themselves into the ship so quickly that Hildegund and her children were nearly trampled," he replied. "I was helping to clear a path, and when I turned, you were gone."

Ada nodded. It was good he was there to help them.

"Well, I was fine," she said.

"I'm glad," he inclined his head.

They both watched as his wound knitted closed completely. Ada didn't know if she would ever get used to having such a power come from her own hands, but she was never more grateful to Frigga for having seen the potential inside her.

Marus's gaze lifted, until his stare made Ada involuntarily raise her head to meet him.

"It seems we keep being pushed together," he said. Hesitantly, his hand reached up to graze the side of her face.

Ada let out a long breath to steel herself, before she finally pulled his wrist down, away from her. She looked back at him gently.

"I'm sorry, Marus," she said. "You're a good man, and you deserve every happiness. I just…I can't."

His eyes were first disbelieving, but that soon melted away into regret, and then resignation. She was grateful for that as well, until he asked her the one question she wished he wouldn't.

"Is there someone else in your heart?"


	13. A Broken Vow

The Lady Frigga finally struck him across the face.

Loki's cheek smarted from his mother's slap, but it stung no worse than the grief in her eyes and in her voice as she'd raised that to him as well. He felt like a scolded child, but it was far, far worse than that.

A child's slights were usually out of the foolishness of youth. But Loki could claim no such ignorance. He'd knowingly and willingly caused his own father's death, and had ultimately caused her pain. At this point, while there were defensive barbs on the tip of his tongue, ready and waiting to be released, he swallowed them whole and allowed the wellspring of shame that washed over him.

They stood in the privacy of the quarters he'd secured for her, and the room was tense with her angry gaze holding him in place.

"At last, have you nothing to say?" Frigga spoke, though her voice faltered when her emotion broke way to tears. She looked away from him, reaching a trembling hand up to her face.

In truth, Loki feared her rejection more than he'd thought possible of his mangled heart. But he tentatively reached out towards her, until he could touch her hand knowing it wouldn't disappear in his grasp.

"Mother," he said coarsely. He hadn't been able to speak to her in such a long time, he'd thought he never would again. To his surprise, she reached for _him_ , pulling him into her embrace. His height dwarfed her, but he felt entirely warm when her hand tucked his head against her shoulder. He closed his eyes.

"I am…" _Sorry._

He couldn't quite say it. And even then, it wasn't enough, but it was the truth of what he felt. He couldn't take back his actions, and wasn't sure if he would, if ever he could. But he did regret hurting her.

Frigga sucked in a shaking breath. "I know, Loki. It just…isn't enough right now."

She held him tightly when he instinctively tried to pull away.

"You are my son, as you always have been and always will be," she said, smiling ruefully as she wept. "Please, for once…be patient with me."

Loki sighed. "You know patience was never my strong suit."

Frigga pulled away, just enough to slap both of her hands on his cheeks. Loki frowned as she brought his face down to her level, her eyes slightly narrowed.

"I am trusting you, my son. Trusting you to support your brother, as he will support you once we reach Midgard," she said. "But first, there is something you know you must do."

"Oh?" Loki's brows furrowed. He only pretended not to know what she was speaking of. He gently grasped her hands and pulled them from his face. "What is that, exactly?"

* * *

Loki left his mother's room with yet another unfortunate task ahead, but once he caught sight of Thor's red cape, he followed. The sounds of revelry were still going on belowdecks. It was strange that his brother wasn't participating. Instead, he seemed to be entertaining a bit of vanity by staring at himself in the mirror. He wore a patch over is missing eye, and his hair was still a jagged mess.

"They so often scorned me for taking pride in my looks, but they clearly ignored just how protective you were over that ridiculous mane," Loki remarked. He stepped into the room with a sly smirk.

Thor rolled his eye.

"That pride clearly hasn't suffered of late," Thor retorted, gesturing to Loki's latest evolution of his armor. "Is that your own design, brother? I didn't see this on Sakaar."

Loki shot him a wry look. He joined Thor in looking out the window of the ship, to the vast view of space ahead of them. "Do you really think it wise to go to Earth?"

"Yes, of course. I'm very popular with the people of Earth," Thor grinned. They both knew very well what Loki meant, but Loki decided to humor him.

"Let me rephrase that. Do you really think it's a good idea to bring _me_ back to Earth?"

"Probably not," Thor conceded. "But I wouldn't worry brother."

Loki sighed. "For posterity's sake, let's consider that. Why should I not worry?"

"Because we'll be together, as we should've been from the start."

* * *

_Damn it, I think I am actually lost._

Ada rested for a moment against the empty hall of the spaceship. She'd never set foot on one before today, let alone not one so large as this one. The halls and rooms seemed to go on forever, many of which were already claimed by families and couples alike. Especially with the revelry going on after Thor's unorthodox coronation, there was much _celebration_ going on. Ada had already accidentally intruded on three different celebrations in the past half hour, and she was sure she was bright red, down to the tips of her toes.

Ada sighed and resumed her path across yet another crossroads in the long corridor when someone stumbled into her. In her state of exhaustion, she nearly tumbled to the ground. But a hand caught her arm fast and pulled her into a strong chest. She looked up and her breath got stuck in her throat.

"You certainly have a talent for getting in my way," Loki drawled. His familiar smirk instantly made her frown in annoyance.

" _Excuse_ me?" she cried indignantly.

"Though I suppose it's not quite so ill-timed, in this case," he said, as if she hadn't spoken. He grabbed her hand. "Come."

Ada quickly yanked her hand out of his. Suddenly she realized how very angry she was, that he thought they could just go back to the way things were. She was not his toy, and he had no business touching her unless he told her the truth, right here and now.

" _No!_ Whatever you need to tell me, you can do it _right here_ ," she shouted. "I refuse to go another step with you until you tell me where you were, and why you didn't come sooner!"

Loki's eyes narrowed with irritation, but then they lightened with mischief. She grew wary at that look she knew all too well.

"Fine," he agreed. He grabbed her hand, but before she could unleash her fury once more, she tensed as the feeling of his magic overwhelmed her and the hall disappeared.

Ada blinked, and she found herself in a room she'd never seen before. It was plain, furnished with a bed, a dresser and mirror, and not much else. It had blue sheets and silver chrome walls like the rest of the ship, but that all fell away when she realized she was still holding tightly to Loki's hand.

She let go as if it burned her. Yet, instead of retreating from him like he thought she would, Ada took a step toward him, swaying a bit on her feet. Loki smoothly grabbed her arms, holding her to him steadily.

She raised her head. He saw real exhaustion in the dark circles beneath her eyes and in the tautness of her frown. Normally her skin was rather sun-kissed and warm, complementing the subtle reddish tones in her hair. But her face now was pale, if a bit flushed. He knew it was their proximity that made her so deliciously nervous, and that made his smirk grow.

Even if she hated him, it was satisfying to know she still desired him. But, as what she'd said before rang again through his head, perhaps she didn't hate him as much as he'd thought.

"Why did you bring me here?" she demanded, though it was a bit weaker than he would've liked. Loki led her to the foot of the bed and helped her sit down.

"One question at a time," he reminded her.

He moved to the adjacent bathroom and returned with a damp towel. Ada sighed and reached for it expectantly, but Loki ignored her hand and knelt down in front of her. He held the towel gently to the side of her face, slowly clearing dirt and sweat from her brow, her cheeks and neck, and the parts of her chest that weren't covered by the collar of her dress. All the while, she looked at him with surprise and a blushing warmth.

He was sure of it now. If she hated him, she'd definitely not allow him to do this.

"What was my other question?" she asked eventually. The corner of Loki's mouth quirked at a smile. He cleansed her arms and hands next. While he knew a simple spell that would restore her clothes and clear her skin, he thought they would both find more pleasure this way.

"You asked me why I did not return to you sooner," he raised a brow.

Ada's lips thinned. "I don't believe I said it _quite_ like that—"

"But it's what you meant," Loki countered, tilting his head towards her with a challenge in his eyes. " _You_ invaded my mind, and yet you maintain that I owe you…what, exactly?"

She responded to his intentional prodding just as Loki expected, her eyes flashing with anger. He brushed away grime from the inside of her wrist as she glared at him.

"How can you hold me so tenderly and still try to provoke and manipulate me, as you _always_ do?" Ada said sharply. She slipped her arm out of his grasp and pushed hard at his chest.

Well, it was an effort on her part anyway. She was too weak to do much more than make him huff in amusement.

"You left before we could settle things, once and for all," she added, and managed to surprise him, gripping his collar tightly and holding him between her knees. "And even after everything you've done to me—making me fear for my life, teasing me to the point of madness…I had to know you were alive. Because of this damn spell, I _knew_ you were still alive."

Loki stilled at the sight of her tears. Unlike other times, where he'd gained amusement and even satisfaction from driving her to tears, just as with his mother, he regretted causing Ada pain.

So he rose from the ground to sit beside her, but he pulled her with him into his arms, holding her close. She tensed at first, likely not understanding what he was doing. But after a moment, she finally relaxed against him as she sat across his lap. Her tears dampened his clothing over his heart. Loki was relieved then, that she was letting him comfort her.

Frigga had understood his lacking apology, only because she knew him so well. She had raised him. But with Ada, he knew he couldn't afford any less but the truth in his words.

"I cannot regret my actions towards you," he admitted. "They are part of what entwined our paths. But I can...and I do apologize for the fear, pain, and doubt I've caused you. Though I hardly expect you to believe what I say, it is the truth."

She didn't speak for a while. So long in fact, that he began to become uneasy and impatient. But eventually, she did say something he didn't expect.

"They told us that Hela—the witch had killed the All-Father, and the princes next. I knew it wasn't true of you and Thor, but…"

"My father is gone," he said simply. When she tensed in his arms, Loki knew she must have noted his use of the word _father_ , as he himself did.

"As for myself, I make it a habit of evading death's bounty. Of that, my lady, you needn't worry," he smirked. Finally she pulled out of his embrace, enough that he could see her face again. It was red and a little puffy, but less pale.

"Who said I worried?" she said, with some amusement in her eyes. He returned it with a small smirk. It soon fell the longer he stared at her.

"Why have you not asked me?" he said. Her confusion was obvious.

"Asked what?"

Loki's long fingers slid across the inside of her wrist, where her spell thrummed to come in contact with his own. "To remove it."

It was clear enough why their Vow was no longer needed, for more reasons than one. But Ada's answer was just as clear in her eyes without her having to say it out loud.

Despite her raving and crying a few minutes ago, like Loki, he knew that she wasn't ready for their game to end. But once it did, perhaps the pull she felt towards him would also end, and she could return to a life where his shadow didn't haunt her steps.

_She could be free of me._

He smiled, chuckling through his nose. Tilting her chin up to his, he didn't wait a single moment longer to kiss her, long and slow and tender. This time she didn't tense against him. She inhaled sharply and pressed against him, her lips moving passionately along with his.

Something cool and metal fell into Ada's hand, and when her fingers closed around it, she gasped against his lips. She knew right away it was her ring. But even more than that, the fetters on her soul were gone.

She felt the foreign pressure in her chest disappear, though it was soon replaced by something much more crushing as Loki pulled away. She saw something deep and cavernous in his eyes.

"I release you from your Vow, Lady Adalheid," he said. "Utilize your freedom while you have it; at last, you are free of the fallen prince."

At first, Ada couldn't understand why his voice was so cold, his gaze so melancholy. He began pushing her off of his lap, however gently, but she stubbornly held onto him.

She realized then that his kiss was a goodbye.

_Though I hardly expect you to believe what I say…_

Loki expected her to walk away from him, to leave their dark game in the ruins of old Asgardian halls.

Well, she was willing to give up that small part of it, at least.

"No," she said, satisfied by the slight confusion that lit his face.

"What?"

 _Damn him_ , she thought furiously, and not for the first time. She'd never wanted to be so consumed by anyone, let alone by him. Ada knew her brother may resent her for it, but now that she was free, the burning question in her heart was even more obvious. It was absolutely infuriating.

"You…"

"Yes?" he arched perfectly devilish brows, and yet it only served to attract her more.

Growling in frustration, Ada reached up and grabbed his face, crashing her lips upon his with an angry vigor that shocked him, but was immediately arousing. Loki pulled her towards him by her hips until she was spilling across his lap, then mostly straddling him as they fell back onto the bed under them.

He nearly groaned at the feeling of her breasts pressed against his chest and her legs trapped around his waist. But he already felt her arms shaking. Loki then remembered how weak she still was, even with her surprising jolt of energy.

He swiftly reversed their positions, rolling them so he could feel her wonderfully soft body beneath him. She sighed as his mouth veered from its path of devouring hers, trailing a wet, hot line down to her neck. Meanwhile, his hand had drifted where her dress had exposed one of her legs. Ada yelped when he squeezed her thigh, her fingers clenching in his black hair and nails digging slightly into his scalp. That finally drew a short moan from him, even as he realized where they were headed.

"How can you still want this, foolish girl?" His voice was deep and coarse, and somewhat strained in her ear. Ada caught her breath as he slowed them to a stop.

She looked up into his green eyes that were alight with desire, but he was obviously holding back. _Why_ , she couldn't understand.

She reached up and held his cheek more gently. Her fingers caressed his sharp cheekbones, his stubborn chin. She leaned up and softly grazed his lips.

It took him longer to respond. But when he did, the feeling of his hands softer along her waist and his tongue slipping slowly against hers nearly made her toes curl. A pleasant shiver ran up her spine at their shared warmth. It was a much more tender kiss than they were used to, intimate even, and Ada was enjoying it all the more.

Eventually she broke away to whisper against him, "Does that answer your question, my lord?"

Loki smirked, but truth be told, there was a war going on inside him between his heart and his mind. Logically, he knew this wouldn't end well, for either of them. But he could no longer ignore that he wanted her, body and soul.

He wanted her passion, her fury and unyielding stubbornness, but also her gentleness. The delicate way she'd held him should have infuriated him. _Sentiment._

" _Easier to let it burn_ ," he'd told Thor.

And _yet_ , he'd made a different choice then too, hadn't he?

He'd chosen his brother, and…Loki supposed he was choosing this woman now as well.

"Have you thought this through?" he asked her pointedly, letting his hands slide up the curve of her waist. He could feel how warm her skin was underneath the thin fabric of the dress. His lips joined their exploration, brushing along her collarbone and down between her breasts.

"I don't make a habit of letting go of what's mine," he said against her skin. He smirked, feeling her shudder with anticipation.

"Nor do I," Ada said.

Loki raised his head, tucking his chin softly over one of her breasts. She smiled and touched his cheek again. He saw in her eyes, the words she really wanted to say. The true depths of what it was she felt. Maybe it was fear that stopped her, or something else, but it wasn't something Loki was sure he was ready for.

But he saw the moment she let that thought go. Instead, she asked him a question.

"What happens next, when we reach Midgard? Isn't that a little…problematic for you?" she asked.

Loki sighed and sat up. Much as he wanted to have his way with her, she still looked very tired. Better to resume when she had more of her strength.

He grabbed her hand and led her to lay more comfortably on the bed. He touched the center of her chest lightly, replacing her old clothes and cleansing her skin more fully from days of living rough. She blinked in response, touching the same place on her chest that he had.

"That felt odd," she admitted. Loki chuckled. He tugged her backward to lay more comfortably against him. His arm tucked under both of their heads, and he answered her with his head close to her ear.

"My brother seems to believe we will be able to cross that bridge when we get to it."

"But you don't think it will go over so smoothly?" Ada supplied knowingly.

"I did cause a tad bit of havoc," he nodded, smirking into her neck. She sighed.

"As usual, you're entirely too smug," she warned. She'd heard about how devastating the destruction had been, mostly by the Chitauri he'd allied himself with, but still. She understood why he'd done it better than most, after seeing what memories he kept hidden under the deepest recesses of his mind.

It was no excuse for everything he had done. But knew now that he was capable of more; of being a better man who protected others and saved lives, instead of taking them.

Still, her heart ached again to _know_ with certainty what horrors he'd faced. It had terrified her own dreams afterwards, so she knew his must surely have been plagued by them…

"Rest now, Ada. Stop your thinking," Loki said. His rich voice resonated through her back and into her own chest rather pleasantly.

"Can't help it," she murmured. His other arm wrapped around her waist securely, and she held his hand that laid just under her cheek.

He allowed himself to smile softly, knowing she couldn't see it. "Close your eyes."

Loki stayed awake until he both felt and heard her breathing deepen into the easy lull of sleep. Gradually his own consciousness slipped, until his eyes closed. He let out a steady breath, peaceful.

It didn't last for long.


	14. The Endgame: Part I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soo apology time! I thought I had posted this chapter back in October. I also have an account on fanfiction.net and posted it there, but not here, so here's the next chapter! I hope to get back into the groove of this story soon. :)

When Ada finally woke, the first thing she registered was searing pain. She sucked in a breath, shuddering as she blinked in the relative darkness of the spaceship's main floor. Sparks from deteriorated walls and pillars in the ship briefly illuminated her surroundings, but what she saw churned her stomach violently.

She was laying on the hard floor between several dead bodies. The stench of death and blood filled her nose, but when she tried to move, terrible pain wrenched a cry from her lips. She looked down and finally noticed the jagged piece of metal protruding from her left side. It bit into the flesh, just a few inches above her hip. With a shaking hand, she nearly touched the sharp edge of the metal, but she thought better of it. She doubted she was strong enough to pull it out herself right now, and she needed to find…

Tears burned in her eyes, streaking down her cheeks. She struggled to remember.

_What happened?_

The thought rang in her head, over and over as she strained to move her shaking limbs. She knew the ship had been attacked. That was obvious enough. By who, or what, she didn't know. No matter how much she wracked her addled brain, she just couldn't remember.

Eventually she folded herself into a sitting position. Then, using a dead man's torso, and then a nearby wall, she finally managed to stand. Her eyes must have been adjusting to the dark as well, because already she could see better.

But that was when she noticed the lick of purple flames sparking at the far end of the main floor. She watched it for a moment, mesmerized, until she realized the fire was growing larger.

Her eyes widening, Ada turned on her heel and stumbled in the opposite direction. Using the wall to support her she gradually picked up speed, leaping as well as she could over bodied and damaged parts of the ship.

Passing a familiar platform, Ada noticed that through a pair of large, clear doors, there once were several escape pods lined along the chamber inside. The chamber was now empty.

" _Where are you going?" Fandral yelled at her, grabbing her arm as she tried to push past him._

_Ada didn't think. A spell materialized in her hand. She pushed at his chest with it, sending him careening away from her into the group of Asgardians that clamored into the escape pod. Lady Frigga and Vira helped pull him to his feet, but Fandral only stared at her in horror. He shouted her name, shoving his way through the crowd, but Ada's tears blinded her as she stepped further away, back onto the ship's main platform._

_The pod's doors shut in front of her, closing her off from her brother before he punched fiercely at the glass. Ada knew he'd meant for their positions to be opposite at this door. He'd meant for her to escape, safe, while he stayed to die fighting with King Thor, and Heimdall, and with Loki. In her breaking heart, she whispered goodbye._

_**I cannot let him die alone.** _

Ada turned a corner and finally found light. There at the end was the ship's main controls. She choked on a sob to find Heimdall laid on his back, golden eyes unseeing as his own sword pierced his chest. She knew she could not save him, so she kept moving, however sluggishly. Her vision was blurring every now and then, and her wounded side burned with agony at every step she took. But it was worth it when she heard a grunt, and a struggle.

Just a few feet ahead, was Loki. Battered and bruised, he tried to drag himself to a bloody and unconscious Thor. Her heart rising into her throat, Ada felt a brutal heat of flame behind her as she raced to his side.

" _Loki!_ "

Loki snapped his head up, hearing someone approaching. But she was the last thing he expected. Eyes wide and angry, he wet his dry, cracked lips. He couldn't help that his heart swelled at the sight of her, _alive_ , if with torn clothing and marred skin. His sternum bloomed with a more severe pain.

"What the _Hel_ are you doing here?" he hissed.

Ada only flinched a little at his shouting, but she all but fell to her knees at his side with a gasp. Her hand went to her side, and his gaze sharpened at the piece of metal piercing her body. She ignored his hand on her arm when she noticed the sheer amount of blood weeping from a large hole in his stomach. Courtesy of the titan Thanos.

 _Damn purple bastard_ , Loki thought, hissing in pain when she touched him with delicate fingers. He knew his brother was not dead. _Yet_. But soon enough, they all would be. The destructive flame of the Power Stone had already eaten up more than half of the ship. It now licked at the walls around them, the ceiling above. Soon it would destroy the entire ship, and everything in it.

Loki was pulled from those thoughts, rather forcefully, as an azure glow brought his attention to Ada and her hands. She held them over the wound in his midsection, a fierce determination knitting her brows together. Her face was already pale, beads of sweat forming at her temples.

She was trying to heal him.

"Ada," he uttered. He clamped his hands over her wrists and cursed the weakness in his grip that wouldn't let him stop her.

 _What does it matter?_ he wanted to say. They would soon be dead.

Despite that knowledge, he let his fingers sink into her knotted hair. Briefly her eyes grazed his, despaired, but still refusing to give up.

What he managed to say was something much different.

"It's too much." He bit back a groan of pain. Whatever she was doing, it was nearly unbearable. "You'll kill yourself."

Ada shook her head. Either tears were swimming in her eyes again, or they were blurring on their own. It was getting hard to see, let alone sit up straight. But soon she felt Loki's hand tightly wound around her shoulder, holding her steady. His words faded into the background as she focused singularly on her task, channeling as much magic as she could through her body.

She could feel it working, every cell of tissue knitting back together according to her will. _Nearly there._

Biting her lip until she tasted blood, she held out past the telltale ache behind her eyes, the nausea in her stomach. _More. A little more._

Darkness edged at the corners of her vision.

"… _at's enough. Ada!_ "

Eyes rolling back into her head, Ada fell against him. Loki grabbed her before she pressed that piece of metal further into her body. The flesh around it bled, like the dribble of dark red falling from her nose.

A hand on his shoulder startled him. It was Thor, barely alive and unable to speak. His remaining blue eye implored him as the ship finally started deteriorating around them. _I am here with you_ , that look said.

Loki formed the beginnings of a spell on his fingertips, but Ada's hand shot out first. Still leaning bodily on Loki, she grabbed Thor's wrist, the air around them crackling with her spell. One last spell.

A sheen of blue washed over them, just before the ship imploded.

* * *

The next time she woke, it was with a scream tearing from her throat. Such pain left her trembling where she lay, eyelids fluttering at the blazing, bright lights above her. A face soon blocked them out, though it was hard for her to distinguish who it was.

A warm voice spoke soothingly. Magic clung to her skin, warming her up from the inside out. It felt like a thick, comfortable blanket of familiarity wrapping around her completely, making her feel safe. But she still whimpered at the pain.

A hand, slender and strong, brushing her cheek and wiping away her tears.

"I know, darling," they murmured. "Worst is over."

Ada's eyes gradually closed as the combination of that voice, and their magic, encouraged her to sleep again. She hadn't had the time or the will to register the table she laid on, or the crew of nosy people staring mere feet away.

Loki ignored them, his lips pressed in a hard line. He stemmed the bleeding of Ada's wound with one hand. But he allowed the crew's sole competent member to sew the wound closed, since Thor didn't have the delicacy for it. Not that Loki would allow him to try, even if he could.

The woman that did spoke and moved like a warrior, graceful but direct. She wore purple streaks in her hair and had green skin (obviously not of the Nine Realms, or anywhere close to them). She also possessed kind eyes when she looked down at Ada.

Loki didn't move away from her body. Instead, he looked down at the long and jagged metal fragment in his hand. He'd pulled it out swiftly, but he would never forget the way her eyes wrenched open, the sound of her screaming.

With a sudden hot anger coursing through his blood, Loki tossed away the fragment. He was filled with loathing, not only for Thanos—their self-deluded enemy who played at being a god—but for himself. Loki had chosen to save the Tesseract, the Space Stone, and that action had drawn Thanos right to them.

Just as his petty actions had once driven Malekith's demon towards Frigga, on that day. It had let to Loki's eventual escape from prison, but had Frigga's pain been worth it?

Loki stared at his hands, which were covered in Ada's blood. Was her pain, her sacrifice that let him live—was that worth _this?_

"Brother," Thor said. His eye showed concern, and he looked like he was restraining the urge to grasp Loki's shoulder. Loki was grateful for that, as he was in no mood to be consoled.

"Water?" he snapped at the woman, who was still taking her time with Ada's stitches. Her dark eyes flicked up to his flatly at his tone, but the tightness in her lips told him she was deciding to let it go for the moment.

"Peter," she called to one of the onlookers, a man who looked like he was straightening his posture on purpose. He looked between the woman, who he obviously cared for, and Loki, who he clearly didn't trust. Loki would have smirked at the thought, if he valued at all what this dull crew of degenerates thought of him.

"All right, buddy. Bathroom's back here."

"Not for me," Loki said, his tone measured. With a mere thought and a spell, the blood was wiped clean from his hands. "For her, when she wakes."

 _Peter_ looked down at Loki's hands with wide eyes. Then his gaze flicked up, solidified with wary suspicion.

" _Suuure_ ," he agreed with a nod. A larger man leaned over, whispering loudly near Peter's ear.

"He is some kind of witch."

" _Nah_ , ya think?"

"I don't think. I saw it with my own eyes, he is definitely a witch."

Loki fiercely ignored Thor's pointed look of amusement. These idiotic delinquents called themselves Guardians? _Not quite_ , he thought.

"Dontcha mean man-witch?" snarked the odd raccoon creature from the pilot's helm.

"Ah yes," whispered another. She seemed to be of yet another strange race, the antennas on her head straightening a bit with her cheerfulness. Her head of dark hair tilted slightly as she smiled. "A pirate-angel, and a man-witch."

Loki held in a sigh. Thor's pleased little smile was all the more irritating.

" _Water_ ," Loki repeated, more tersely this time. Peter gave him a mock-salute and disappeared within the bowels of the ship. Eventually the others did the same, leaving the Asgardians and the only person aboard this ship Loki saw to be reliable.

"Thank you, Gamora," Thor said. He was dirty, bloody, unkempt, and still managed to convey the same honest graciousness that Loki knew he would never possess naturally. It was actually a relief now, knowing he wouldn't have to pretend to be that kind of man. Although, it did leave something of a bitter taste in his mouth.

He would never again sit on Asgard's throne.

And yet, as he looked down at Ada's weakened body, he was grateful for what she'd once said to him.

" _You took the throne, but even if it belonged to you, I think it bores you."_

It still slightly irked him even now, to admit she had been right. But Gamora's reply managed to pull him out of his thoughts as he noticed the shadow of guilt in her eyes.

"It's the least we can do," she said.

Loki's narrowed green gaze slid over to her. "I didn't think the daughter of Thanos would harbor such empathy."

Gamora's look was just as sharp as his. Thor's hand on his shoulder did nothing to ease Loki's burgeoning curiosity, but it did remind him (begrudgingly) that there were more important things at hand. Namely keeping Thanos from collecting the remaining stones of power. The Infinity Stones.

"We need to go," Thor said. "Thanos is gaining power as we speak."

"Go? Go where?" Peter echoed. He returned with a pitcher of water that Loki took from him, smirking at the man's suspicious look.

"Nowhere," Thor said. He released Loki's shoulder and began searching the ship. Loki was sure he was looking for an escape pod of some kind. A ship this size could feasibly carry one.

"He must be going _somewhere_ ," Gamora said. She finished on Ada's stitches and gently used a salve she had on hand to protect the site of the wound. Loki watched her and Ada closely. His woman would sleep peacefully for a while, but pain or discomfort could still disrupt her.

"No, Nowhere? It's a place. We've been. It sucks," Peter deadpanned. "Hey, that's our food!"

Loki turned and rolled his eyes. Already his brother was pillaging through their cupboards and drawers for food. Not that his own stomach wasn't calling to him at the thought of sustenance.

"Not anymore," Thor said. He grabbed what rations he could before he continued on his search.

"Why would he go to Nowhere?" Gamora asked Thor. She straightened from her seat and stood.

"The Reality Stone has been stored there for years," Loki supplied, meeting his brother's gaze with an arched brow. That wouldn't have been his first choice to house such a ridiculously powerful artifact, but he hadn't exactly had input in that decision.

"It's been safe there with a man called the Collector," Thor explained.

"If it's with the Collector then it's not safe," Peter said incredulously. "Only an idiot would give that man a stone."

"Hard to argue with that," Loki said, rather purposefully under his breath. Thor shot him a glare.

Despite his past blunders, Loki could admit, Thor's deduction was probably correct. Thanos already had the Power and Space stones. The Time and Mind stones were still on Earth, and there was no record Loki had ever found of the location of the Soul Stone. So that only left the Reality Stone, easy for the taking before Thanos tried his personal hand at laying siege to Earth. Loki knew all too well who would be there to greet the Mad Titan.

"Then we have to go to Nowhere now," Gamora said.

"No," Thor said. He turned to Loki with a look he'd come to expect. "We need to go to Nidavellir."

* * *

The darkness of space passed by their small ship at an unfortunately sluggish speed, in Thor's opinion. The rabbit creature Rocket had volunteered to be their pilot, and Thor was grateful for it, though not for the time their journey would force him to stew in his thoughts. Memories of what happened on his own ship, to his own people. It weighed him, the profound guilt of being a failed leader.

And that came with his own personal loss. _Heimdall, and countless others._

Their only saving grace was that Bruce had surely made it to Earth by now, and Valkyrie had managed to save many of their people. His mother included. Though Thor himself was lucky to be alive, along with Loki.

Thor watched his brother with a measure of quiet disbelief. The fallen prince, conniving and treacherous at his worst, and prickly at best; yet now he sat across from Thor, with a woman in his protective embrace. Loki's wandering gaze soon found Thor's as he frowned.

"What?" Loki said, his tone flat.

Thor tried, in vain, to lessen his smile. "What?"

Loki's green eyes were just as sharp as they always were, narrowing marginally. Thor couldn't help but prod him a bit anyway.

"If Mother could see you now—"

"Just shut up," Loki said. Then he soured a bit. "I'm not quite in her favor at the moment, so I doubt at what a joyous reunion that would be."

Thor couldn't exactly blame Frigga. He was used to dealing with the disappointment and rage that came in dealing with Loki's schemes, but now their father was dead. There was no surpassing that Loki had contributed to it, regardless of any of his regret or remorse. Frigga would surely need time to forgive, even her favorite son.

It didn't even pain Thor to admit that truth ( _that much_ ), at least to himself, that Loki was her favorite. Now, Thor couldn't even claim to be more reliable.

"Regardless, we have Thanos to deal with first," Thor said, a grim sort of smirk quirking at his lips. "Then the rest."

"And before Thanos, to Nidavellir. Your insipid quest for a new weapon," Loki surmised dryly. "Honestly, must you always hide your _wealth_ of intelligence behind a blunt object?"

"As opposed to you, behind your magic," Thor tossed back.

"Whatever I utilize is but an extension of my will, however I see fit to use it," Loki countered.

Thor saw truth in this, as it was the same for himself. He no longer needed to rely on the aid of a weapon, but would use it as an extension of himself. His power.

He smiled. "Then for once, we are like-minded."

Loki shared his thirst for vengeance, smirking back at him. Soon enough though, the warm body shifting in his arms earned his attention. He glanced down, just as Ada was blinking up at him slowly in confusion. But it wasn't long before she grimaced, a short groan of pain sounding in her throat as she squinted against the ship's harsh ceiling light. Loki leaned over her, trying to shield her face as much as he could. His arms wrapped more protectively around her waist and shoulders.

Though her confusion turned to wide-eyed panic as she tried to sit up, pushing away from him with eyes glazed with fear and trauma. Loki quickly pressed a hand to her cheek and uttered the words of a spell, to see what she saw within her mind.

She wasn't recognizing him yet, still trapped in whatever gruesome memories had taken course as she'd slept. Gently as he could, Loki pried her out of it. Between his hand on her cheek, allowing his magic to seep into her mind, and his murmured words of soothing assurance, her eyes lost their unseeing fear. Her breathing eventually calmed, and awareness brought some color back to her face as her trembling hand scrapped for purchase on his armor-clothed chest.

She caught a stronghold near his collar, her breathing labored as she took in the calm reality of his face. Loki covered her hand with his and held it firmly in support. "You're all right."

"What…" Her coarse voice worked to form what she wanted to say, and she looked up at him imploringly. "What happened?"

"The ship was attacked by the titan Thanos," he explained, and gave a brief summary of the events that followed. But he made sure to remind her of who had survived by fleeing on the escape pods.

"You should have been on one of them," he added, not being able to keep off a harder, pointed frown as he looked down on her. Ada had the decency to appear a little wary, but not at all repentant, he noticed.

"Before the last pod was meant to leave, I switched places with Fandral," she said. Her voice was a little stronger that time. "I can't regret my actions."

Loki's lips pursed, but he very well couldn't fault her small smile. Once again, she'd used his words against her. _"I cannot regret my actions towards you. They are part of what entwined our paths…"_

"But I am sorry," she continued, her eyes gleaming with amusement, and great sorrow all at once. "If I've made you worry."

Loki let go of her hand briefly to stroke her cheek with the back of his hand. Yes, she'd made him worry. In her sadness, he saw the carnage she regretted seeing, the loss she felt for so many of their people dead. Was it this difficult for a healer, even though they too saw the horrors of war?

In the end, he didn't berate her for being reckless. Not only would it be rather hypocritical, but in truth, what he felt was…

"Frigga would've been proud to see that little stunt you pulled," he said, raising a brow. Ada lowered her gaze, flushing a little.

"Yes," said Thor, reminding Loki of his presence with that insufferable smile still on his face. He drew Ada's attention, and his hand reached out to settle on her shoulder warmly. "Thank you, my lady, for your protection. I'm glad that you are well."

Sending Thor a deceptively blank look, Loki's arms tightened a fraction around the lady in question. Thor, catching his brother's stare, knowingly eased away. His smile remained.

"Protection?" Ada echoed, her voice lilting in confusion as she looked to Loki for an answer. His gaze fell on her, softening a fraction.

"At the end, you managed a preservation charm," Loki said. "It worked…rather well I'd say."

Her flush intensified, but her face brightened with a small, pleased smile. With effort, she turned to Thor with reverence.

"It's good to see you're unharmed as well, my king."

Loki's spine tightened, but he realized it was a petty, fruitless thing to be spiteful over. In any case, he couldn't be spiteful towards Ada. The way she looked up at him, slow and tired as her eyelids began to fall, softened both his tongue and his heart. He drew her hand from his armor, encouraging her without words to relax against him.

"Rest now," he said. "We will be there soon enough."

She had more questions, but her depleted, recovering body simply wouldn't let her stay awake any longer. "Where're we going…"

"You'll know when we're there," he said, smirking as she snorted in annoyance, then drifted back into a healthier sleep.

Feeling Thor's idiotic gaze upon him, Loki served him with a short glare. "I said, _be quiet_."

Thor raised his hands placatingly.

"I said nothing at all."


End file.
